Sanjeeda Shaikh praises Sunny Deol's professionalism after Dharmendra's death

Actor Sanjeeda Shaikh has recalled that her Ikka co-star Sunny Deol returned to shoot for the film soon after the death of his father, veteran actor Dharmendra. Speaking about that period, she said she was struck by the 68-year-old's professionalism as he came onto the set, did his work and left.In a recent interview, Sanjeeda also spoke about what she learnt from senior actors such as Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna while working on Ikka. She said watching them work taught her the value of discipline and humility. The film also starred Dia Mirza and Tillotama Shome, and was directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra. It was released on Netflix on July 10.During a chat with Hindustan Times, Sanjeeda recalled Sunny shooting for the final leg of Ikka after Dharmendra's death. She said, "I remember Sunny sir coming for the shoot. Dharam sir had just passed. And I would say 'kya professionalism hai yaar!' Iss level pe aa ke toh bol bhi sakte hain na ki 'Yaar ek hafta, das din shoot band rakho, main nahi aata aaj set par kyunki I don't feel like shooting (What professionalism, man! At this level, one could even say, 'Hey, halt the shoot for a week or ten days; I’m not coming to the set today because I don't feel like shooting.)"She further said that, at his level, he could have asked for the shoot to be stopped for a week or 10 days and said he did not feel like coming to the set. "But no, that man used to come to the set, do his work, and leave. Toh bahut kuch seekhne ko milta hai (So, there is a lot to learn)," she said, adding that she learnt a lot from him. Sanjeeda said the professional values she picked up from her senior co-stars were an added bonus. "All of them, they just come and do their work so professionally. These are accomplished actors. They don't come to the set with any burden," she said.She added that there was a lot to learn just by watching them. In her words, "Aap jitna humble rahoge na, utna hi zyada tikoge industry mein (The more humble you remain, the longer you will last in the industry)."Dharmendra's death Dharmendra died at the age of 89 on November 24, 2025, at his home in Mumbai. He died after a brief illness and had been hospitalised for respiratory complications.Recently, Sunny referred to his father while speaking at a promotional press conference for his upcoming film Batwara 1947 in Patna. When asked about Pakistan and whether the film had been shot there, he said it had been filmed in India. He then said he did not want to get into those matters, adding that actors are storytellers and do not want to take stories in a political direction.At the same event, Sunny recalled how Dharmendra used to refer to Pakistan as his "mausi", or maternal aunt, while speaking about how the two countries were once one before Partition.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Aug 6, 2026 23:42 IST