Actor Akshay Kumar has confirmed the third installment of the Kesari franchise, revealing who the protagonist will be. While interacting with the press during the trailer launch of Kesari Chapter 2 in Delhi on Thursday, the actor shared that the next film in the franchise will be about Hari Singh Nalwa, who was the first commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire.
During the event, Akshay said, “We have to prepare for Kesari 3 now. Aaj subah hi baat karahe the iss baare mein. We are thinking of making it on Hari Singh Nalwa, what do you guys say? Punjab ka roop dikhaayenge sabko.”
Hari Singh Nalwa was a Sikh commander in Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army. He served as the Governor of Kashmir, Hazara and Peshawar and gained popularity for his triumphs against the Afghans. In fact, Nalwa played a significant role in blocking Afghan attacks on Punjab through the Khyber Pass. He also played a major role in the battles of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshawar, and Jamrud.
During the trailer release event, Akshay Kumar also addressed using the ‘F word’ in Kesari 2, and said, “Yes, I used this word. I am amazed to see that you noticed this, but the phrase ‘you are still a slave’ didn’t grab your attention. Wasn’t it a big gaali for you? Usse badi gaali aur kuch nahi ho sakti. I would have been happy if you would have said that they used the word ‘slave’ rather than you talking about ‘F you’. Aise time par, agar unhone goli bhi maar di hoti toh bhi chotta rehta.”
The original 2019 film Kesari was based on the true story of the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897, where 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army fought against 10,000 Afghan tribesmen. Meanwhile, besides Akshay Kumar, Kesari 2 also features R Madhavan and Ananya Panday in pivotal roles. The film is based on the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the courtroom battle led by lawyer C Sankaran Nair. Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, it is set to hit the big screen on April 18.
