When Ikkis opens on January 1, it will, among other things, remind us of what Hindi cinema lost in 2025. Sriram Raghavan’s directorial venture, led by Agastya Nanda, will mark the final on-screen appearance of Dharmendra, who passed away on November 24. In the swansong, we’ll also see the superstar’s last dance, in a qawwali track.

Featuring Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat, the song was shot in Pune in May 2024. It apparently sees the veteran actor’s character going to his college reunion.

A source from the unit said, “Initially, it plays in the background as Dharmendra’s character catches up with his friends. Then it moves to the foreground as his friends get him to the dance floor and he shakes a leg. It’s a fantastic moment! While the college is shown to be in Lahore in the narrative, producer Dinesh Vijan and Sriram filmed it in a Pune college.”

In Ikkis, Dharmendra portrayed the father of Nanda’s character, Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Khetarpal. Working with him on the number was a moment of pride for choreographer Vijay Ganguly. Remembering the 89-year-old actor as being “full of life”,

Ganguly told mid-day, “Shooting with Dharmendra was amazing as he was vibrant and full of life. He was awake till we completed the song at 4 am.”

What made the collaboration sweeter was the fact that their association went way back. The choreographer, who has designed two songs in the biopic, added, “It was a moment of nostalgia for both of us. Dharam ji had done a film earlier with my father [filmmaker Anil Ganguly] called Dushman Devta [1991]. During the shoot, he remembered my father fondly. He told me he was a kind man and that he enjoyed working with him.”