Buckle up for Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh, a Hindi historical drama that’s like a punch to the gut and a salute to the heart.
The pacing charges like a warhorse: the massacre’s opening gut-punches, courtroom battles grip tight, and only a mid-film subplot briefly stalls. The climax, with Akshay’s “get out of my country” roar, is pure dynamite.
Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, a debutant with a lawyer’s knack for precision (he is a lawyer turned filmmaker), this courtroom thriller dives into the aftermath of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The script is inspired by The Case That Shook the Empire, and follows C. Sankaran Nair (Akshay Kumar), a barrister tearing into the British Empire’s lies. Tyagi’s direction is razor-sharp, blending raw emotion with slick legal battles, though some fictional flourishes (like a trial in Punjab, not London) add masala over facts.
Back to the pacing… relentless… early scenes of the massacre sear your soul, and the courtroom clashes keep you glued, though a mid-film subplot drags slightly. The climax? Pure goosebumps, with Akshay’s fiery “get out of my country” speech shaking the theatre.
Akshay Kumar roars as Nair, his intensity unmatched, especially in the final act. R. Madhavan’s cunning British lawyer Neville McKinley is a quiet storm, while Ananya Panday’s Dilreet Gill holds her own with surprising grit. Simon Paisley Day’s General Dyer is chillingly vile. Shashwat Sachdev’s score and Debojeet Ray’s visuals amp the stakes.
It’s not perfect, some dialogues lean hammy but Kesari Chapter 2 is a patriotic powerhouse that demands your attention.
8.5/10.
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