Dharmendra's 'Pain Of Leaving Home' Shaped His Ikkis Role, Says Director Sriram Raghavan

• Director Sriram Raghavan reveals Dharmendra's personal experience of leaving Punjab deeply influenced his role in "Ikkis".
• Dharmendra's performance was authentic, with his gait and pain becoming part of the character, and he improvised dialogues.
• "Ikkis" is a biographical war drama about Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, based on the 1971 India-Pakistan War.
• The film, releasing January 1, 2026, features Agastya Nanda as Arun Khetarpal and Dharmendra in a posthumous role as Brigadier ML Khetarpal.
• A special screening in Mumbai was attended by celebrities like Rekha, Salman Khan, and Riteish Deshmukh.

Why It Matters: Dharmendra's personal history brought profound authenticity to his final role in "Ikkis".