 "Akshay Kumar-R Madhavan's Kesari: Chapter 2: Revisiting the darkest history of Jallianwala Bagh massacre")
After long wait and anticipation, Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan & Ananya Panday starrer Kesari: Chapter 2 has hit the screens today. The spiritual sequel to Kesari (2019), the movie is based on the book The Case That Shook The Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat.
Centered around lawyer C. Sankaran Nair and the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the historical courtroom drama film is directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and produced by Dharma Productions, Leo Media Collective, and Cape of Good Films.
Revisiting the darkest history of Jallianwala Bagh massacre
Kesari: Chapter 2 showcases aftermath of one of India’s darkest historical events - the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The film sheds light on how Sankaran Nair, a senior Indian member of the Viceroy’s council and once knighted by the Empire, stood up and fought for the truth after the brutal massacre in 1919. The story highlights how Nair proved that the massacre was not a reaction to a riot, but a calculated act — what we would today call genocide.
On 13 April 1919, during the annual Baisakhi fair a large crowd was gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, British India to protest against the Rowlatt Act and the arrest of pro-Indian independence activists Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal.
Responding to public gathering, brigadier general R. E. H. Dyer made Gurkha and Sikh infantry regiments of the British Indian Army surround the crowd and blocked the exit with his troops.
He ordered them to shoot at the crowd and the troop kept on firing until their ammunition was low and they were ordered to stop. While the official British Raj source stated that 379 people were killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Kishwar Desai, author of “Jallianwala Bagh, 1919: The real story” said the number of martyrs could be more than 2,000 or so, as per TOI.
Director Karan Singh Tyagi believes the story is more relevant than ever. He says, “The event speaks to the present times that we live in. It’s a post-truth world where fake news is rampant. I was fascinated that when people read about the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy, the next day, the truth was suppressed.”