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Ikka

10 July 2026Hindi

What critics are saying

Ikka draws a mixed-to-negative critical response, with most reviewers finding it a dated, melodrama-heavy courtroom thriller that fails to fully exploit its promising premise.

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With a loved one's life at stake, a celebrated lawyer must defend a man he suspects is guilty — battling his conscience every step of the way.

Critic Consensus

Ikka draws a mixed-to-negative critical response, with most reviewers finding it a dated, melodrama-heavy courtroom thriller that fails to fully exploit its promising premise. The central concept of an upright lawyer defending someone he despises was widely acknowledged as compelling, and the performances of Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, and Tillotama Shome were frequently cited as the film's primary asset. However, critics broadly agreed that the screenplay leans too heavily on star power and emotional excess rather than allowing courtroom logic and character discovery to generate tension organically. The finale drew particular criticism for abandoning narrative coherence in favor of melodrama and an overstuffed twist ending.

10 rated reviews · 3 positive · 4 mixed · 3 negative

Praised: lead actors' star powerCriticised: melodrama over logic and writing

AI-generated summary of 14 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (14)

Updated
Shubhra GuptaTop Critic· Indian Express
4.0
Sunny Deol-Akshaye Khanna's courtroom drama loses to melodrama, teary mothers and dialoguebaazi.
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Suchin Mehrotra· TheQuint
7.0
Despite its punishing duration, it's effective. Uplifted by thunderous actors, Althea Kaushal's well-plotted screenplay ensures that, when Ikka works, it really does.
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Ikka keeps you guessing; the twists never feel forced. Definitely a weekend watchlist winner
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Devesh Sharma· Filmfare
6.0
Ikka is a courtroom drama where Sunny Deol leads with rhetoric rather than punches. The biggest strength of Ikka lies in its central premise—an upright lawyer defending someone he despises is both a legal dilemma and a deeply human one. However, the film spends far too much time telling us who its characters are instead of allowing us to discover them ourselves, with emotional investment suffering because audiences are constantly being briefed instead of immersed.
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Renuka Vyavahare· Times Of India
5.0
Ikka unfolds like a quintessential '90s courtroom potboiler, often at odds with Netflix's contemporary sensibilities. Morality takes centre stage in this overly dramatic courtroom drama.
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Rishabh Suri· Hindustan Times
5.0
Ikka squanders a promising courtroom thriller with weak writing and an overreliance on star power. Instead, it leaves you wondering how a film with Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna ended up feeling this ordinary.
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Sana Farzeen· India Today
5.0
Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna courtroom thriller is two decades late
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Bollywood Hungama News Network· Bollywood Hungama
5.0
IKKA rests on the star power of Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna.
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Mayur Sanap· Rediff
4.0
By the time Ikka reaches its overblown finale, complete with a redundant trick ending, the verdict becomes clear: Melodrama wins, logic loses. The film rarely trusts the strength of that premise, and instead of allowing courtroom arguments to generate tension organically, the film insists on hammering every point home with relentless background score.
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Trisha Gaur· KoiMoi
4.0
On paper, Ikka might have looked fantastic, but it is very ignorantly pulled off. By the end, the film looks desperate to explain its twists and turns since they lose poorly despite having a trail of Aces in Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, and Tillotama Shome!
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Nandini Ramnath· Scroll.in
Not rated
Although running on for far too long and piling on a twist too many, the 140-minute Ikka is an engaging timepasser. Siddharth P Malhotra's workmanlike contribution to one of Hindi cinema's favourite genres doesn't deliver on its promise of fireworks, but it isn't a damp squib either.
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Shilajit Mitra· HollywoodReporterIndia
Not rated
A three-way staring match between Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna and Tillotama Shome, the old-school pleasures of Siddharth P Malhotra's film dry up in time
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Puja Talwar· TheFederal
Not rated
Siddharth P Malhotra's Ikka is the story of an upright lawyer (Deol) who must choose between his morals and his daughter's life, when he is called upon to defend sexual assault accused Shauryaman Gaur.
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Anuj Kumar· The Hindu
Not rated
It is an uneven ride. While the penultimate twist lands with genuine surprise because it relies on intellect, hidden motives, and a clever manipulation of the facts, the final touch, however, is more about maintaining the image of Sunny as the undisputed ace as the makers abandon complex logic to ensure his character stands tall, vindicated, and emotionally triumphant.
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Cast & Crew

Details

Release Date
10 July 2026
Language
Hindi

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