Ikka review: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna courtroom thriller is two decades late

Ikka movie review: Sunny Deol's Arjun takes up Akshaye Khanna's explosive case after initially refusing it. The courtroom battle ties privilege and justice to a personal family crisis.

In Short

• Soma's roadside assault sparks a case steeped in power, privilege and politics
• Sunny Deol plays a defence lawyer torn between ethics and family crisis
• Akshaye Khanna appears as an entitled politician's son facing grave allegations

There was a time when Bollywood had mastered the art of crafting edge-of-the-seat murder mysteries. Whether it was the deliciously twisted thrillers of Abbas-Mustan or films like Gupt and Ittefaq, audiences weren’t merely invested in discovering who committed the crime, but also how it all unfolded. Those films kept viewers guessing until the very end. But cinema has evolved, and audiences today have grown up on far more layered legal dramas and sophisticated crime thrillers, making Siddharth P Malhotra’s Ikka feel like a film that’s at least two decades late to the party.

The film opens on an intriguing note. Soma (Akanksha Ranjan Kapoor) is seen enjoying a night out with Shauryaman (Akshaye Khanna), only to be flung out of a speeding luxury car moments later. Left critically injured on the roadside, the incident snowballs into a sensational case involving privilege, politics and power.

Enter Arjun (Sunny Deol), a celebrated defence lawyer who walks into court with the same moral conviction that once made his Damini character iconic. In his opening argument, he talks about how power and class often influence justice. He also addresses the common perception surrounding defence lawyers, saying they are often dismissed as people who merely chase money, whereas they too can fight for the truth. One line, in particular, stands out: law and justice are not always the same.

Parallelly, the film introduces Arjun’s personal life. His daughter, a promising swimmer, suddenly suffers a nosebleed during an important selection trial. If you’ve watched enough Bollywood films, you can almost predict where this subplot is headed the moment the doctor says she has a terminal illness that will require stem cells from one of her parents for recovery.

What's rather funny to watch is how Akshaye Khanna gets to play the spoiled-brat son of a powerful politician, at this age. He is a privileged man-child who spends his nights partying with women while his wife quietly waits for him at home. When his case lands on Arjun’s desk, the lawyer initially refuses because of a shared past. But circumstances surrounding his daughter’s treatment force him to reconsider, setting the stage for a courtroom battle where personal history becomes as important as the evidence itself.

One of the more interesting choices the film makes is turning Sunny Deol’s character into a defence lawyer representing an alleged rapist. Yet, much like in Damini, Arjun refuses to let his team character-assassinate the victim. When one of the witnesses attempts exactly that, Deol slips into his signature angry-young-man mode, delivering a full-fledged courtroom outburst that instantly transports audiences back to the 90s.

Akshaye Khanna, meanwhile, looks like Rehman Dakait has simply walked out of Dhurandhar and into this film. The dark wardrobe, the measured pauses, the suspicious side glances, the slightly hunched walk and the perpetual arrogance -- everything is the same. In one scene, a background dancer is even doing his same viral dance move, making it seem like the makers simply wanted to play around with the popularity of his character.

Tilottama Shome’s Madhu Bose arrives midway and briefly injects fresh energy into the narrative. Appearing in court with her arm in a sling, she jokes about having a 'dhai kilo' ka haath too. There is an emotional scene where Soma’s mother (Jyoti Mukerjee) breaks down in front of Arjun and says there can be no greater pain than losing one’s child. It quietly mirrors the emotional burden Arjun himself carries throughout the trial.

But the women, unfortunately, get the short end of the stick. While Tilottama makes an impact in court, she is reduced at home to the stereotypical Bengali wife -- draped in a saree, sporting shakha-pola and making breakfast for her unemployed husband. Sanjeeda Shaikh, too, hardly gets to do much, while Dia Mirza is reduced to playing the caring mother and serving as the connection between Akshaye and Sunny's characters.

The film continues to throw twists in its final hour, repeatedly asking audiences to question everything they’ve seen. While the screenplay desperately wants every reveal to land like a masterstroke, most of them are visible from a mile away. Even the climax, which clearly aims for a gasp-worthy finish, ends up feeling predictable.

Director Siddharth P Malhotra tries to pack too much into one film. There is a courtroom drama, a murder mystery, a family emotional arc and even commentary on privilege and justice. Individually, each idea has merit, but together they compete for attention. The film keeps switching lanes without ever deciding what it truly wants to be, leaving the narrative feeling scattered rather than gripping.

Like its title suggests, Ikka believes it is holding the ace card until the very end. Unfortunately, by the time it puts that card on the table, the audience has already guessed the hand. Despite an impressive cast and an intriguing premise, Malhotra’s thriller never finds the winning move. What could have been an engrossing legal thriller ultimately becomes a familiar game with an all-too-obvious ending.

- Ends