Film: Kesari: Chapter 2

Director: Karan Singh Tyagi

Writers: Karan Singh Tyagi and Amritpal Singh Bindra

Dialogues: Sumit Saxena

Cast: Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, Ananya Panday, Amit Sial, Regina Casandra, Simon Paisley Day, Alexx O’Nell, Steven Hartley, Krish Rao

Rating: 4 Moons

At a time when Bollywood is rewriting history by making films on bloody territorial wars fought among the Marathas, Mughals and British, ‘Kesari: Chapter 2’ comes as an inspiring, non-violent tale of one Indian’s gutsiness to take on the ruthless British Empire in a gritty and one-sided courtroom drama to reveal its cover-up of the chilling 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The film is an adaptation of Raghu and Pushpa Palat’s book ‘The Case That Shook the Empire’.

Story

At the centre are Sir C. Sankaran Nair (Akshay Kumar), General Reginald Dyer (Simon Paisley Day), Advocate Neville McKinley (R. Madhavan) and Dilreet Gill (Ananya Panday). The story is the gripping courtroom hearings that Nair, a distinguished lawyer of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, fought against British defence counsel McKinley and a corrupt and biased jury as he takes on the Raj for the Jallianwala Bagh genocide.

Cinematography

Debojeet Ray’s camerawork of the inhuman massacre of innocents that day in 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh is chillingly realistic and horrific. Subsequently, the courtroom scenes have been brilliantly and empathetically shot, making the viewer feel like a part of the court waiting to see if the indomitable spirit of justice will prevail. The few scenes of Nair’s Kerala home are rustic and charming (with Akshay in a Malayalee’ s mundu) and lend credence to the character’s earthy background.

Acting

Akshay Kumar delivers perhaps his career’s best performance. He is one moment chilled steel, his eyes expressing his silent rage, in his resolve to bring Britain’s General Dyer to trial; then he roars in defiance, his voice spitting disgust, as he tears through the sham that the courtroom is put through in Dyer’s defence. This film is a testament to the actor’s versatility and commitment to meaningful cinema. R. Madhavan is suave and subtle as McKinley and complements Nair. The cut-and-thrust in the courtroom arguments between them are first class, perfectly scripted, and brilliantly performed. Ananya Panday impresses as Dilreet, marking a significant evolution in her acting prowess. Regina Cassandra as Nair's wife, Palat Kunhimalu Amma, quietly and gracefully contributes to the emotion. British actor Simon Paisley Day as General Dyer is evil personified.

Dialogues

There are many that are poignant and powerful and highlight the struggle for justice. Like “Adaalat me sahi aur galat ka nahi haar aur jeet ka faisla hota hai”. And Nair’s wry observation at the courtroom urinal, “The Empire is shrinking.” But what gets the audience on its feet is his blazing “F-You!” to the judge and courtroom when the trial finally comes to the end of the tunnel and everybody who is blind to justice sees light.

Direction

Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, ‘Kesari Chapter 2’ is a meticulously-crafted film balancing historical accuracy with cinematic storytelling. Screenplay, co-written with Amritpal Singh Bindra, ensures that each scene serves the narrative while maintaining a steady pace and emotional engagement.

Music

The music is an adrenaline rush. The soundtrack by Sashwat Sachdev has an inspiring but non-imposing war-like beat to it. The songs ‘O Sher’ and ‘Kithe Gaya Tu Saaiyaan’ are good, too. But it is the reuse of ‘Teri Mitti’ from ‘Kesari’ when Akshay’s character silently visits Jallianwala Bagh that gives goosebumps.

Overall

‘Kesari Chapter 2’ is a cinematic triumph for Bollywood with stellar performances, a compelling narrative, and impeccable direction. It is a pity the film was given an ‘A’ certificate. That cannot be for the few minutes of bloodshed shown during the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Recent films like ‘Sikandar’, ‘Chhaava’ and ‘Jaat’ have a hundred times more. It has to be for the stirring ‘F-You’ dialogue delivered by Akshay in one of the film’s most engaging and emotional moments. That is a pity again. The youth of today, who are deprived of watching ‘Kesari: Chapter 2’, know better and worse than that.