In the glitzy and glamorous world of cinema audiences only witness the final film on the big screen. However many moments that unfold behind the scenes are often more cinematic than the script itself. One such moving story unfolded during the making of Ikkis leaving the cast and crew with memories they will cherish forever.

Recently choreographer Vijay Ganguly shared some anecdotes from the sets of Ikkis which underline the veteran actor’s passion for cinema till the very end.

Ikkis which marked as the final appearance of legendary actor Dharmendra has been creating a buzz for its emotional reason. Speaking about behind the scenes Vijay Ganguly spoke about Dharmendra’s determination to give his best even when his body was clearly under strain.
Choreographer recalls Dharmendra’s struggle during dance shoot
During an interview Vijay Ganguly revealed that the team was shooting a qawwali sequence set during the character’s college reunion. The shoot stretched late into the night with the clock ticking past midnight.

Looking back Vijay said “It was around 2:30–3 am. We told him that he had to dance just a little bit and he could do whatever he was comfortable with but he asked what the others were doing.”

The team then showed Dharmendra the steps being performed by the younger actors. “We showed him that the other boys were doing a leg step while holding each other by their shoulders. He asked ‘Why can I not do this?’” Vijay recalled.

‘He insisted on doing the steps’ says Vijay Ganguly

Vijay went on to explain that Dharmendra was seated during the sequence as standing up repeatedly had become physically challenging for him. Yet the actor was adamant about performing the steps himself.

“He insisted on doing the steps. He was sitting because for him getting up again and again was also a little difficult… He got up and he did it” Vijay said.

Concerned about his health the team eventually intervened. “Eventually we told him not to do it because if we have many retakes it would be physically exhausting for him” he added.
‘For him it was about giving his 100 percent.’
Despite being told that dancing was not crucial to the scene Dharmendra’s mindset remained unchanged. “Dancing at that point was not very important for his character but for him personally his thought was that he had to give his 100 per cent” Vijay shared.

He further recalled “He was also feeling like no one should think that he can’t do it so he showed that he can. We were like ‘Wow this is fantastic.’”

Vijay also revealed that Dharmendra had asked for the song’s lyrics and volunteered to memorise them in case lip-syncing was required emphasising how eager the late actor was to give his all to Ikkis.
About Dharmendra and Ikkis
Dharmendra passed away on November 24 days before his 90th birthday. His final film Ikkis was released in theaters on January 1 and is directed by Sriram Raghavan. The film stars Agastya Nanda in the lead role and revolves around the bravery and sacrifice of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.