In a recent interview, Hema Malini revealed that she has not yet watched her late husband, Dharmendra's last film, 'Ikkis'.
Dharmendra, Bollywood’s 'He-Man', passed away on November 24, 2025. He had a great passion for cinema and once expressed his wish to work till his last breath. He is survived by his two wives, Prakash Kaur and Hema Malini and his six children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijayta Deol, Ajeeta Deol, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Recently, his last film, Ikkis, was released in theatres. In a recent interview, Hema Malini revealed that she has not yet watched her late husband’s last film.
For the unversed, in the biographical war drama, Ikkis, the 89-year-old legendary actor, Dharmendra, played the role of 'Brigadier M. L. Khetarpal', father of the young hero, 'Arun Khetarpal'. While cinephiles and fans of the actor have watched the film in theatres, in a recent interview with The Indian Express, Dharmendra’s second wife, Hema Malini, shared that she hasn’t yet watched her late husband’s last film.
Hema mentioned that when the biographical war drama was released in theatres, she was in Mathura. The film was released on January 1, 2026. Besides being an actress, Hema is an MP under the constituency of Mathura. Hema shared that she couldn’t see the film, Ikkis, right now, as it would be too overwhelming for her. She highlighted that her daughters, Esha and Ahana, also had said the same thing. Hema added that she would watch Dharmendra’s last film when the wounds started healing. She was quoted as saying:
"I came to Mathura when it was released. I have to do my work here. Also, I can’t see it now; it will be too overwhelming. That’s what my daughters are also saying. Maybe I will watch it later when the wounds start healing."
Bobby Deol and his elder brother, Sunny Deol, followed their father’s footsteps into the acting field. Bobby received widespread acclaim for his performances in projects like Aashram and The Ba***ds of Bollywood. He gained a lot of attention for his dance moves on the peppy track, Jamal Kudu, from the film, Animal.
According to a report by OTT Play, Bobby had lent his voice to his father, Dharmendra’s younger version, in Ikkis. His voice has been used for several sequences in the biographical war drama to maintain the historical and chronological accuracy of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Ikkis is based on the real-life story of Arun Khetarpal, who was martyred when he was in action during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson, Agastya Nanda, made his silver screen debut with the film, Ikkis. He played the role of 'Arun Khetarpal'. Soon after Ikkis hit the theatres, moviegoers were quick enough to share their reviews on their X (formerly Twitter) handles. Calling the film, a 'poignant masterpiece', an X user wrote:
"Review: Ikkis (2026) Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis is a poignant masterpiece that chooses raw emotion over loud noise. Agastya Nanda shines in a sincere breakout performance as 2nd Lt. Arun Khetarpal, perfectly capturing the journey from innocent boy to battlefield hero. However, the film truly belongs to the legendary Dharmendra in his final on-screen role. Playing the grieving father, his silent, dignified performance is heartbreaking and anchors the emotional core. Unlike typical actioners, this is an intimate, claustrophobic look at war that honours both a young martyr and a cinema icon. A deeply moving watch. Rating: 4½."
Lauding the late actor, Dharmendra’s performance in Ikkis, a movie critic wrote, "Rating: 3½ A pleasant start to the new year at the cinemas! #Ikkis is impactful. The film is well-made with stunning battlefield visuals and some riveting background score. The cinematography is a plus, while other technical aspects are good. #IkkisReview #AgastyaNanda has done some commendable work, #JaideepAhlawat terrific and #Dharmendra ji fantastic. Dharam ji’s role isn’t just a cameo or a special appearance but is the very soul of the film."
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