Sanjeeda Shaikh Recalls Sunny Deol Returning to ‘Ikka’ Shoot After Dharmendra’s Death: ‘Kya Professionalism Hai’

Sunny Deol’s professionalism during the final schedule of Ikka left a lasting impression on co-star Sanjeeda Shaikh — not because of a dramatic speech or an on-set gesture, but because he simply turned up and worked during one of the most difficult periods of his personal life.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Sanjeeda recalled that Sunny returned to the Ikka set following the death of his father, veteran actor Dharmendra, in November 2025.

For Sanjeeda, watching an actor of Sunny’s stature report for work despite his grief became a lesson in discipline, humility and the way senior performers conduct themselves on a film set.

‘Kya professionalism hai yaar’

Recalling Sunny’s return to work, Sanjeeda told Hindustan Times:

“I remember Sunny sir coming for the shoot. Dharam sir had just passed.”

She then summed up her reaction in a few words:

“Kya professionalism hai yaar!”

Sanjeeda explained that an actor at Sunny’s stage of his career could reasonably have asked the production to stop shooting for several days. Instead, according to her account, he came to the set, completed his work and left.

It was that matter-of-fact approach that appears to have affected her most.

There was no suggestion from Sanjeeda that grief had somehow disappeared or that continuing to work represented the only appropriate response to bereavement. Her observation was specifically about what she learned from watching her senior co-star fulfil his professional commitment during an intensely personal period.

That distinction matters.

Sanjeeda says Sunny could have asked for time away

Sanjeeda's comments also underline the position Sunny occupies within the industry.

She reasoned that somebody at his level could have asked for the shoot to be suspended for a week or ten days because he did not feel ready to work.

Instead, she recalled:

“That man used to come to the set, do his work, and leave.”

She added that there was a great deal she could learn from observing him.

Her recollection has subsequently been carried by India Today, The Indian Express, NDTV and other publications, all attributing the underlying account to her Hindustan Times interview.

Dharmendra died in November 2025

Dharmendra died on November 24, 2025, at the age of 89.

The actor had been one of Hindi cinema’s defining stars across a career spanning more than six decades. For Sunny, the loss was therefore simultaneously deeply personal and enormously public.

Sanjeeda’s recollection concerns the period immediately around that loss and the final leg of work on Ikka.

Sunny later publicly remembered his father on Dharmendra’s 90th birth anniversary in December 2025, sharing an old video and writing that his father remained with him.

That wider context makes Sanjeeda’s account particularly sensitive.

The story is not that Sunny “chose work over grief.” Sanjeeda cannot establish what he was feeling privately, and neither can an entertainment publication.

What she can speak about is what she personally observed on set: he came to work.

It wasn't the only lesson Sanjeeda took from her senior co-stars

Sunny was also part of a broader point Sanjeeda made about working alongside experienced actors.

Her recent projects placed her alongside performers including Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna in Ikka, as well as Ajay Devgn in Dhamaal 4.

According to Sanjeeda, she noticed a similar professionalism in the way these established actors approached their work.

She told Hindustan Times that the performers would arrive and do their jobs without carrying the weight of their accomplishments onto the set. Her takeaway was that humility can be closely connected to longevity in the film industry.

That's a more substantial insight than simply describing Sunny as “professional.”

Sanjeeda was talking about what younger or less-established performers can learn by watching actors who have remained in the business for decades.

Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna reunited in Ikka

The professional lesson emerged during a project that carried its own significance.

Directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra, Ikka brought Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna together on screen and also featured Dia Mirza, Tillotama Shome and Sanjeeda Shaikh.

The film was released on Netflix on July 10, 2026.

Sanjeeda played Gauri Gaur, while Sunny appeared as Arjun Mehra and Akshaye as Shauryaman Gaur.

For Sanjeeda, the project also provided an opportunity to work with actors whose careers stretch across very different periods of mainstream Hindi cinema.

Her comments suggest that some of the most valuable parts of that experience happened away from the finished scenes.

Sanjeeda also learned from Akshaye Khanna and Ajay Devgn

In the same interview, Sanjeeda broadened the conversation beyond Sunny.

She spoke about observing Sunny, Akshaye and Ajay and said accomplished performers did not arrive on set burdened by their status.

Her conclusion was simple: the more humble an actor remains, the better their chances of sustaining themselves in the industry.

It is an interesting observation coming from an actor whose own career has moved across television, films and streaming.

Rather than presenting professionalism as simply arriving on time or memorising dialogue, Sanjeeda connects it with something less measurable - how an established actor behaves once success has already given them the power to demand special treatment.

That is why Sunny’s conduct during Ikka appears to have stayed with her.

The Celebrity Hour Take

There is an easy way to sensationalise this story: portray Sunny Deol as somebody who ignored his grief and immediately returned to work.

That would also miss Sanjeeda Shaikh’s point.

Her recollection is valuable because it comes from someone who was actually working alongside Sunny and observing how he conducted himself during the final schedule.

But professionalism and grief should not be turned into opposing choices.

Taking time away after losing a parent would not make an actor less dedicated. Returning to work is not proof that somebody has overcome grief either. People process loss differently.

What impressed Sanjeeda was something narrower and more personal: Sunny had the stature to ask an entire production to accommodate him, yet in the period she witnessed, he came in, completed his responsibilities and left.

And her larger takeaway wasn't exclusively about Sunny.

Watching Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna and Ajay Devgn reinforced her belief that longevity and humility can coexist and perhaps need to.

For an industry frequently fascinated by stardom, entourages and celebrity demands, that may be the more interesting lesson behind her story.

Sources & Verification

This report is based primarily on Sanjeeda Shaikh’s August 2026 interview with Hindustan Times, where she directly described her experience working with Sunny Deol during the final schedule of Ikka. Her account was cross-checked against subsequent coverage by India Today, The Indian Express and NDTV. Details about Dharmendra’s death and Ikka’s release were separately cross-checked against established news coverage.