MUMBAI: Actress Tilottama Shome has opened up about recreating Sunny Deol’s iconic “Dhai Kilo Ka Haath” dialogue in her recent project “Ikka.”

 

Sharing her experience, Shome told IANS that she initially felt hesitant about delivering such a legendary line and even suggested that Sunny Deol himself should perform it. However, the veteran actor encouraged her to present it in her own style, giving her the confidence to make the dialogue her own rather than trying to replicate his iconic performance. Tilottama shared, “The truth is that when I was actually on the set, I wasn't nervous or overly excited. I was somewhere in the middle. I knew it was an iconic dialogue, and I even tried convincing the director that perhaps Sunny sir should deliver it instead. But he didn't agree.”

 

“I asked Sunny, sir, if he had any objection to me saying such a famous dialogue of his. He immediately replied, "Why would I? Say it in your own way." When I received that kind of encouragement from everyone, I simply made the dialogue my own. I never tried to match Sunny Sir's performance or outperform it. There was no such calculation in my mind.”

 

Speaking about working with the ‘Gadar’ actor, Tilottama mentioned, “Sunny sir is a very introverted person, and so am I. People often assume actors are naturally extroverted because we face the camera, but that's not always true.”

 

“What I loved about him was that even in his silence, there was tremendous warmth. Sometimes a person's silence can make the atmosphere uncomfortable, but his silence made everyone around him feel relaxed. Whenever we spoke, he was always kind, respectful and extremely generous. He is a true gentleman, something that feels increasingly rare today,” she added.

 

In "Ikka," directed by Imtiaz Ali, Tilottama Shome essayed the role of Madhura Banerjee, a determined public prosecutor who faces off against Sunny Deol’s character, Arjun Mehra, a defense attorney, in the courtroom drama.

 

In an interesting twist, Shome’s character delivered Sunny Deol’s iconic “Dhai Kilo Ka Haath” dialogue in the film, using his legendary line against him during their intense courtroom confrontations. The thriller also featured Akshaye Khanna and Dia Mirza. “Ikka” premiered on Netflix on 10 July.--IANS