Akshay Kumar on ignorance around Battle of Saragarhi: We celebrate 300, but not our own stories of bravery

Akshay Kumar recently opened up about the importance of the Battle of Saragarhi during his recent promotions of Kesari . The actor expressed surprise at the fact that the 1897 battle does not have the slightest mention in Indian history books. [caption id=“attachment_6126431” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Still from Kesari trailer. YouTube screengrab[/caption] “Google has named it among the five most valiant battles of all time. In Britain, people celebrate Saragarhi Day, and here, our kids have no idea about the war where 21 men took on an army of 10,000 people, knowing that they will die. They managed to kill 900 people,” Mid day quoted Akshay as saying. He further added that while Indian audiences celebrate films like 300, they don’t uphold and celebrate their own stories enough. The actor also answered questions regarding the shift in his film choices and whether the move has been conscious. Akshay admitted that he had a soft corner for films which reflected social issues in the country. “We don’t need Hollywood, our country is full of incredible stories. I don’t take credit for finding them. The credit for _PadMan_ (2018) goes to Twinkle [wife and producer]. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) was discovered by Neeraj [Pandey, producer] and Airlift (2016) is Nikkhil’s [Advani] idea. I take the credit for backing these stories,” Akshay added. Kesari is scheduled to hit theatres on 21 March.