Unless you live under a rock that doesn’t entertain internet banalities, it’s unlikely you haven’t come across an Akshay Kumar biopic meme. The man would gladly portray anyone as long as there’s scope for a patriotic twist. Sunita Williams’ recent return to Earth made way for a meme fest for the same reason. It is less about serving the cause of cinema or propagating the valor of the subject. The real focus lies in the template, which the actor has mastered over the years and Bollywood watchers have grown accustomed to. Occasionally, these films hit the bull’s eye, depending on the filmmaker’s calibre. But lately, there’s a clear sense of fatigue. In Karan Singh Tyagi’s Kesari Chapter 2, Akshay Kumar takes on the role of the famed barrister Sir Sankaran Nair, who sought justice for the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
Now, Mr. Nair is an unlikely candidate for a Bollywood biopic, let alone a grand one headlined by Akshay Kumar. The reason is that the man hails from Kerala, the odd one out in the current political scenario, where the state’s beef-eating, Communist-leaning ways do not align with many. History, anyhow, has a different story to say on how patriotism has nothing to do with caste, creed, colour, or religion. This way, Kesari Chapter 2‘s very existence is puzzling yet important as it follows a Malayali man taking a stand for native Punjabis, fighting for a tragedy of national importance.
The blessing in disguise is Akshay Kumar playing Nair. Overworked by choice, he doesn’t have the time to internalize a character the way Ranveer Singh might, which is just as well since fake accents, antics, and mimicry in the name of authenticity are the last things one would want in a Hindi period film about a South Indian man. Thankfully, Dharma Productions didn’t feel the urge to remix ‘Jiya Jale Jaan Jale’ to give our Malayali man an entry anthem either. The extent of cultural appropriation here is limited to him performing Kathakali (why?), and wearing some tasteful dhotis and sandalwood paste. Beyond that, Nair is Kumar. Kumar is Nair.
The biggest strength of Kesari Chapter 2 is that it sticks to its core goals, proving General Dyer’s guilt in the Amritsar massacre. The screenplay plays it safe, minus distractions that could take away from Nair’s mission. There’s an intentional thread promoting Hindu-Muslim unity, with a subplot involving a Muslim soldier. The main female character, Dilreet Gill (Ananya Panday), is a Veer-Zaara-coded rookie lawyer. She may come across as unsure and vulnerable, but that works in the film’s favour.
In the form of Dyer, Kesari Chapter 2 presents a merciless villain. Watching him squeak, shriek, and contort his face in bizarre ways like the flamboyant villains from yesteryears is quite a joy. Simon Paisley Day’s portrayal is so strikingly Hitler-esque that we find ourselves more invested in his downfall than in Nair and Gill’s eventual triumph. This, however, highlights an anomaly in the writing by Karan Singh Tyagi, Amritpal Singh Bindra, and Sumit Saxena. The film rarely feels like a story of collective victory for the Punjabi people, who are the ones living with the trauma of losing their loved ones. The film reduces them to voiceless bystanders during the court proceedings – the film’s mainstay. As if to compensate, Kesari Chapter 2 makes a thoughtful attempt to personalize the narrative through Nair’s (and Gill’s) interaction with a local Punjabi boy. His words, actions, and ultimate fate leave an impact on them. Even though this narrative device adds emotional weight to the conflict, the wider societal impact of Nair’s intervention is what truly deserves emphasis.
While Nair, Dyer, and Gill are largely well-realized characters in Kesari Chapter 2, R. Madhavan’s Neville McKinley feels neither here nor there. Does he convincingly look like a half-British, half-Indian hybrid? Not quite. Is there any clear reason for this supposedly astute lawyer to suddenly harbor resentment toward his old friend Nair? Again, no. Do his actions significantly impact the film or his client, Dyer? Not really. As a result, McKinley ends up as a talking wall piece whose relevance quickly fades once Nair and Gill grill his first witness. The decision to cast an Indian star in this role was probably meant to boost the film’s star wattage. Somehow, the film doesn’t add much to Madhavan’s otherwise thoughtfully chosen Bollywood films.
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One valid criticism must be that while Kesari Chapter 2 uses real names for some key characters, the main storyline is largely fictional. It turns Nair into the lead prosecutor of the massacre, framing it as his personal battle, even showing him using expletives in court. In doing so, the film often sidelines his actual legacy in favour of crowd-pleasing drama. That said, if the setting had been completely fictional, the hyper-nationalistic tone might still have been acceptable. What stood out to me was the lack of imagination here. The repeated use of curse words to create an impact felt unrealistic for the era it is set in and unnecessary for the times we live in. It is particularly annoying because we have seen similar films before, including those starring Akshay Kumar, which delivered powerful moments without giving in to the trickery of verbal abuse.
While the screenplay and dialogues fall short, Karan Singh Tyagi’s film scores in its direction. The filmmaker seems to know the Akshay Kumar patriotism template and delivers a more polished effort than most of his recent films. Despite the high decibel levels, Debojeet Ray’s camera angles feel bolder than expected in a film of this kind. Editor Nitin Baid weaves past and present together, keeping the narrative engaging and preserving the aura around Nair throughout. Shashwat Sachdev, Kavita Seth, and Kanishk Seth make songs that were probably composed for different films, maybe even the first edition of Kesari. Rita Ghosh’s production design and Sheetal Sharma’s costumes are dressy yet occasionally noteworthy.
As stated before, Kesari Chapter 2 resists over-the-top cultural appropriation and saffronization. While it is every inch of an patriotic Akshay Kumar drama, it reminds us of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre horror for which the British Empire does not deserve an ounce of sympathy.
Rating: ★★★
Kesari Chapter 2 is streaming on Jio Hotstar.
