Kesari Chapter 2
Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh (2025)

The courtroom drama is set in India and England and revolves around the lawyer C Sankaran Nair, portrayed by Akshay Kumar, who fights for justice against the British Empire for the massacre of innocent Indian people at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919.

The clash moves from the field of the movie Saragarhi in the film ‘Kesari’ (2019) to the court in this historical film directed by Karan Singh Tyagi. Following the plot from The Case That Shook the Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat, the two writers, Tyagi and Amritpal Bindra, are able to create a combination of emotions such as sympathy, aggression, and excitement in the readers. It brings the pain to your heart when watching the recreation of Jallianwala Bagh, the anger rises when seeing the injustice, and the curiosity continues when seeing the legal battle.

Though the tempo of the film is patchy, especially in the scenes where Sankaran assists convict revolutionary Kirpal Singh (Jaipreet Singh) and the trial against General Reginald Dyer (Simon Paisley Day), the interest rises to its crescendo when he confronts Anglo-Indian lawyer Neville McKinley (R Madhavan).

Rita Ghosh has done a great job of taking the movie to the pre-Independence era, while Debojeet Ray’s cinematography and Tyagi’s treatment make you hooked on. The music for the film has been composed by Shashwat Sachdev, and the background score has been given by Azeem Dayan,i which takes the narration to a more intense level.

The social problem of corruption within the British Empire, the disrespect towards Indians, and the rising spirit of rebellion are depicted in the story without exaggeration. Nevertheless, the change of Sankaran from a Crown’s sympathizer to a nationalist seems to be quite abrupt.

The story is well-knit and revolves around Sankaran, played by Akshay Kumar which is a brilliant and courageous character. R Madhavan is also equally effective, he doesn’t overact but gives a power-packed performance. Ananya Panday, who plays the role of Sankaran’s co-counsel Dilreet Gill and the instigating factor in the legal drama, is effective. Though she has realism, she portrays nervousness she is the only one who takes on the mighty Empire, changing from a timid lady that has never been to court to a fierce cross-examiner in one scene.

It is also pertinent to make a special mention of how effectively Simon Paisley Day portrayed the role of the villainous General Dyer. Indeed, a brief look at his childhood reveals that he was bullied for stuttering and inherited hatred for Indians from his father. Pargat Singh (Krish Rao), who plays the role of the young boy who loses his mother and sister in the massacre and is bold enough to stand for the sam,e also made his portrayal well.

The incident that took place at Jallianwala Bagh is a well recorded in the annals of history. Nevertheless, this detailed analysis of the case that was unknown to many people in the Empire will make an amazing story. It becomes compulsive viewing due to the storytelling and the cast.