The movie, which draws inspiration from the events surrounding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also stars R Madhavan.
On Thursday (April 3), Dharma Productions unveiled the trailer for Kesari Chapter 2. Featuring Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, and Ananya Panday, this historical drama is set during and after the tragic Jallianwala Bagh incident in 1919.
Kumar portrays a lawyer modeled after C. Sankaran Nair, who takes on the British crown to reveal the truth behind Jallianwala. Kumar says in the teaser, “We are suing the crown for genocide.” Kumar declares in the trailer. Madhavan plays a formidable lawyer, Neville McKinley, who defends the British administration’s actions in Punjab. Ananya Panday, as a determined female lawyer, serves as Kumar’s loyal assistant.
Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, Kesari Chapter 2 is inspired by the book The Case That Shook the Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat. The film seems to weave together multiple historical events into a cohesive narrative, covering the findings of the Hunter Commission and a libel lawsuit initiated by Michael O’Dwyer against Sir CS Nair in England.
Kesari Chapter 2 Story
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre stands as one of the most somber episodes of British colonial governance in India. On April 3, 1919, in Amritsar, Reginald Dyer, a British Brigadier-General, commanded troops to fire on an unarmed assembly of over 15,000 Indians who had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to peacefully protest the Rowlatt Act. The massacre sent shockwaves around the globe and became a catalyst for rising anti-British sentiments in India.
CS Nair was a prominent Indian lawyer who was the only Indian member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council during the massacre. Deeply disturbed by the bloodshed, he resigned from his esteemed position, compelling the British to enact reforms, including the withdrawal of martial law in Punjab.
CS Nair later authored a book, Gandhi and Anarchy (1922), in which he criticized Michael O’Dwyer, the lieutenant governor of Punjab at the time of the massacre. He accused O’Dwyer of enabling the heinous acts through his oppressive governance. This led to a libel action from O’Dwyer, who had returned to England after being dismissed from his role in Punjab.
Kesari Chapter 2 is scheduled for release in theaters on April 18, 2025.