Kesari Chapter 2 Review: Fiction Based on Real Characters

Film: Kesari Chapter 2
Rating: 2.75/5
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Madhavan, Ananya Pandey, Regina Cassandra, Amit Sial, Simon Paisley Day, Alex O'Neill, Mark Bennington, Sammy Jonas, Alexandra Moloney, Jaipreet Singh, etc.
Cinematography: Debojeet Ray
Editing: Nitin Baid
Music: Shashwat Sachdev
Producers: Hiroo Yash Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, Amritpal Singh Bindra, Anand Tiwari
Direction: Karan Singh Tyagi
Released On: 18 April 2025

The film, starring Akshay Kumar and Madhavan, grabbed attention with its trailer. It carries the successful title Kesari and benefits from the franchise value, even though it was originally planned to be titled Shankara.

Let's delve into the ins and outs of the film.

Story:
The film opens with a horrifying portrayal of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, deeply moving and more dramatized than Attenborough’s Gandhi.

After the massacre, the narrative shifts into a courtroom drama exploring General Dyer’s (Simon Paisley Day) role, the British cover-up, and attempts to portray the victims as armed terrorists.

Shankaran Nair (Akshay Kumar), a lawyer initially aligned with the British, is pulled into the fight for truth by junior advocate Dilreet Gill (Ananya Panday).

As Dyer, under the advice of Tirath Singh (Amit Sial), appoints Neville McKinley (R. Madhavan), who presents Martha Stevens, an alleged rape victim, as a diversion, Nair counters with compelling evidence, diagnosing Dyer with Intermittent Explosive Disorder.

Parvathy Nair (Regina Cassandra) stands beside her husband Nair through this legal battle. 

Artistes’ Performance:
Akshay Kumar nailed the role of Shankaran Nair, the historical figure. His body language, demeanor, and the way he carried the emotions of realization, reformation, and revolution are worth mentioning.

Madhavan, though promising initially, seemed diluted as the narrative progressed. His character isn’t carved as a strong opponent to the protagonist. However, his dialogue delivery and confident expressions deserve praise.

Simon Paisley Day as General Dyer is menacing. He performed close to Adolf Hitler, adding conviction to his character’s commitment to mass genocide.

Amit Sial as Tirath Singh is fine. Regina Cassandra as Parvathy Nair is also good. Ananya Pandey performed well as a junior advocate, displaying some solid expressions.

Actress Alexandra Moloney also performed well in her short role as Martha Stevens.

Technical Excellence:
The film is rich in ambiance, depicting the 1919 era of India. The art direction, costumes, and makeup deserve praise.

Music by Shashwat Sachdev is impressive. ‘Teri Mitti’ from Arko's music and Manoj Muntashir’s lyrics from ‘Kesari’ is again used in this film.

Cinematography is simple yet effective, while the editing is crisp.

Highlights:
Akshay Kumar’s performance
Madhavan’s presence
Powerful dialogues
Patriotic moments 

Drawbacks:
Not a very arresting courtroom drama
Over-fictionalization
Sometimes contrived

Analysis:
The movie starts with the most poignant Jallianwala Bagh massacre scene, which wrenches the heart and makes the audience hold back tears, despite being emotionally overwhelmed. The scene is incredibly believable, with more dramatization compared to Attenborough’s 1982 film Gandhi.

After the massacre scene, the film slowly transforms into a courtroom drama that discusses General Dyer’s role and how the British power centers tried to hide the incident for a long time, even attempting to paint the victims as terrorists holding weapons rather than innocent civilians.

Then comes the character Shankaran Nair, an advocate initially aligned with the British. Upon discovering the conspiracy to project the incident in a false light, he decides to fight for the truth, aided by junior advocate Dilreet Gill.

General Dyer, advised by Tirath Singh, appoints Neville McKinley as his lawyer, who brings Martha Stevens, an alleged rape victim, to link her suffering to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In countering that, Shankaran Nair efficiently proves that Dyer suffers from Intermittent Explosive Disorder, demonstrating the same in court.

Ultimately, the film ends with the British being found guilty of one of the most horrific massacres in history, with over 10,000 lives lostv—vmuch more than the 1,650 reported by British authorities.

The narrative of this film, based on ‘The Case That Shook The Empire’ by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat, has its historical veracity in question.

The key point to acknowledge here is the debate between truth and fiction in the narrative. At the end, it’s shown that Gandhiji acknowledged Shankaran Nair’s triumph over the British, but in reality there is no historical evidence of that. 

All said and done, ‘Kesari Chapter 2’ is a historical fiction with some made up characters and courtroom drama proceedings. The film succeeds in instilling emotion in the audience. The poignant moments from Jallianwala Bagh, the courtroom drama where Shankaran Nair corners General Dyer and his lawyer, and the dialogues that put the British to shame are well-received with emotion. As Akshay Kumar aptly said, the British today should feel guilty for what their predecessors did at Jallianwala Bagh, watching this film. 

Bottom Line: Emotional and Patriotic