Ikka REVIEW: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna’s Courtroom Drama Has Substance But Lacks Conviction

Film:
Ikka

Director: Siddharth P. Malhotra

Writer: Althea Kaushal & Mayank Tewari, Mayank Tewari (Dialogues), Althea Kaushal (Story)

Cast: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Dia Mirza, Tillotama Shome, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Shishir Sharma, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor

Runtime: 140 minutes (2 Hours, 20 Minutes)

Platform: Netflix

Ikka Review

“Main galti kar sakta hu par gunna nahi”, well after watching Ikka we can say that makers should have spent more time refining their script because currently the story feels like an amalgamation of a family and courtroom drama that tries to revive the nostalgia of Sunny Deol from Damini. Alas, it fails to leave to impact it intended.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Netflix India (@netflix_in)

The Siddharth P. Malhotra-directorial is about Arjun Mehra (Sunny Deol) – a celebrated lawyer known as Ikka (Ace) in the legal world owing to his impressive track record. His life takes an unexpected turn when his daughter is diagonised with cancer and his wife (Dia Mirza) compels him to take up a case in order to save her. The case is to defend Shauryaman Gaur (Akshaye Khanna), the prime accused in the attempted murder of Soma Mehtani (Akansha Ranjan Kapoor). Taking a firm stand against Arjun in court is prosecution lawyer Madhura (Tillotama Shome).

As the trial unfolds, life-altering secrets surface, turning a seemingly legal battle into something that will not only impact Arjun’s life but also make him question his ethics. Does he win the case or does Madhura get justice for Soma? Is Arjun successful in saving his daughter? These questions form the crux of the story and to know the answers, you need to watch it. But before you do, glance through our honest Ikka review.

What Works

The intention is pure and a much needed topic to be spoken about at the moment.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zee Music Company (@zeemusiccompany)

What Doesn’t Work

The pace – it’s too long; it feels way longer than 140 minutes. Some characters are wasted and even talents like Akshaye Khanna fail to deliver an impactful performance. The editing lacks crispness, resulting in a flat story that had good potential.

Technical Analysis

Direction

Siddharth P. Malhotra – who delivered amazing projects like Hichki and Maharaj, fails to live up to fans’ expectations. The courtroom drama – centred on crimes against a woman, struggles in making the audience feel emotionally connected to the victim. It solely focuses on the ethical conflicts of the defending lawyer and the determination of the prosecution. The drama lacks intensity, and the emotional moments fail to leave an impact.

Story, Screenplay & Dialogues

Althea Kaushal’s story is good and well-intended, however, the screenplay -penned by Althea and Mayank Tewari, fail to convey it. While the narrative is slow and mixing two dramas into one, the dialogues – written by Mayank, also disappoint. Aside from Akshaye Khanna’s Main galti kar sakta hu par gunna nahi” and Tillotama Shome’s ‘dhai kilo ka haath’ , the film has no memorable dialogues.

Editing

Shweta Venkat Mathew’s editing is among one of the weakest of 2026. The pace is slow – and at some places very slow. You anticipate how a scene will unfold but it takes 2-5 seconds longer than expected to happen.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zee Music Company (@zeemusiccompany)

Music

The background score – provided by Julius Packiam, is packed with emotions and helps keep the narrative engaging. The songs are also a plus.

Star Cast

Sunny Deol as Arjun Mehra is sincere, but it doesn’t suit him. Sunny aces roles that requires him to dominate the screen be it with his voice or strength, alas this film offers nothing much in those aspects. He fail to deliver the powerful courtroom act of ‘Damini’ that audiences associate him with and this can be attributed to the screenplay. Akshaye Khanna – who impressed all with his performance as Rehman Dakait, delivers a very bland performance. His expressions are pretty much the same throughout and his mannerism don’t always match that of ‘ameer baad ka bigda hua alaud’ blueprint.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Netflix India (@netflix_in)

Talking about the star cast, Tillotama Shome is undoubtedly the shining star of this drama. She manages to bring Madhura to life with conviction, composure and intensity, something that manages to hold its ground while clashing with Sunny Deol in the courtroom. Her ‘dhai-kilo ka haat’ dialogue has a nostalgic emotions attached to it but the emotions it carried is very different.

Dia Mirza is effective but very limited given ho pivotal she’s to the narrative. Akansha Ranjan leaves an impact despite very limited screen time. Sanjeeda Shaikh is unfortunately wasted – her character has no substance and the arc falls faster than it was made. The other supporting cast do well in the time they are given.

Conclusion

If you want watch Sunny Deol go feral in a court, skip Ikka and rewatch Damini, you won’t be disappointed. This fast-track courtroom drama isn’t fast in any sense, it drags. While the story stays on track, it does stray a little when it comes to mixing the emotional aspects of Arjun’s life with his professional one. Despite being an interesting subject, the execution remains surprisingly flat making Ikka a miss.

Watch the trailer of Ikka here:

For more news and updates from the entertainment world, stay tuned to Bollywood Bubble.

Also Read: Dhamaal 4 REVIEW: Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh And Arshad Warsi Ace A Wholesome Family Entertainer That Lives Up To Its Legacy

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.