The trailer for Akshay Kumar’s Kesari Chapter 2 is finally here, and so are the reactions of his fans. The film, directed by debutant Karan Singh Tyagi, is based on the book The Case That Shook the Empire. It explores the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, in which thousands of Indian perished at the hands of the British. In the film, Akshay Kumar and Ananya Panday’s characters are determined to hold the Empire accountable for its actions, whereas R Madhavan’s character is fighting on behalf of the British.
Here are the five highlights from the Kesari 2 trailer:
1. Akshay Kumar wears Kada
(Photo: Dharma Productions/YouTube)
Akshay Kumar plays the role of lawyer C Sankaran Nair, who later also became the President of the Indian National Congress. In the trailer, Nair (a South Indian character) is seen wearing a Kada (a steel bracelet, one of the Five Ks or Panj Pyare, a set of symbols that represent Sikh identity). However, as an actor, Akshay has worn a kada before, in his films like Mission Raniganj and Kesari, in which he played a Sikh characters.
2. R Madhavan and Akshay Kumar collaborate for the first time
(Photo: Dharma Productions/YouTube)
Despite their long careers in the film industry, Akshay Kumar and R Madhavan had never collaborated on a project before. The actors will finally be seen sharing the screen in the courtroom drama. R Madhavan plays the role of Neville McKinley.
3. River filled with bodies, gory images
(Photo: Dharma Productions/YouTube)
While movies have already been made on the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre – Vinod Khanna’s Jallian Wala Bagh (1977), Ajay Devgn’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), and Vicky Kaushal’s Sardar Udham (2021) are a few – the Akshay Kumar-starrer seems to be taking the portrayal of brutality to another level. The trailer includes shots where bodies are severed, limbs are ripped apart in the most violent manner.
4. Throwback to Big B’s Mard
(Photo: Dharma Productions/YouTube)
If you are a movie buff, the shot of a board with the message “Dogs and Indians are not allowed” must have taken you back to Amitabh Bachchan’s 1985 film Mard, which includes an 11-minute action sequence revolving around similar themes. While Big B physically bashed the Britishers, Akshay Kumar’s character takes the passive aggressive approach. Sharing a urinal with General Dyer, he looks over and says, “British empire is shrinking.”
5. Ananya Panday’s first period drama
(Photo: Dharma Productions/YouTube)
The film also marks the first-ever period drama for Ananya Panday, who marked her debut in 2019 with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 2. Ever since her debut, Ananya mostly played Gen Z roles in movies like Gehraiyaan, Dream Girl 2, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, and CTRL.
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Akshay Kumar’s Kesari Chapter 2 is a spiritual sequel to his 2019 film Kesari. However, the two films (both based on true stories) have no common connection in terms of storyline. The film is all set to hit the theatres on April 18, with the makers even considering to make Kesari 3. The film is produced under the banner of Dharma Productions.
