'Kesari Chapter 2' opens to mixed reviews as Akshay Kumar takes on colonial injustice in court

Released on April 18, Kesari Chapter 2 steps into theatres with a heavy subject on its shoulders: the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the courtroom fight that followed. Headlined by Akshay Kumar, alongside R. Madhavan and Ananya Panday, the film has drawn mixed reactions from viewers, with some calling it powerful and others labelling it sluggish.

Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and backed by Dharma Productions, the film moves away from the battlefield narrative of its 2019 predecessor. Instead, it follows the legal efforts of C. Sankaran Nair, played by Akshay Kumar, who challenged the British Empire after the 1919 tragedy. R. Madhavan plays opposing counsel Neville McKinley, while Ananya Panday surprises many with a restrained, serious performance as Dilreet Gill.

The film attempts to reconstruct a courtroom battle based on real events, drawing from The Case That Shook the Empire by Raghu and Pushpa Palat. With its runtime of 135 minutes, it focuses on dialogue and legal strategy rather than large-scale spectacle. Reactions, however, have been polarising.

Some early social media reviews slammed the film, calling it “old wine in a new bottle” with below-par production values. A few critics called Akshay miscast and found the pace too slow for a gripping historical drama. On the other hand, many appreciated the effort to bring this lesser-known chapter of Indian history to mainstream cinema, praising the depth of research and some emotionally charged courtroom sequences.

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Akshay Kumar, during a promotional event, asked audiences to keep phones away while watching, saying the film’s dialogues deserve full attention. His comment connected with many who felt the film’s content warranted focus.

Box office projections for Kesari 2 vary. Trade experts estimate an opening between £400,000–800,000 (₹4–8 crore), with strong word-of-mouth potentially pushing it higher. Made on a reported £10 million (₹100 crore) budget, the film has a lot riding on both critical acclaim and commercial success.

Kesari Chapter 2 hits the mark for some viewers and sparked conversation about forgotten heroes, colonial injustice, and the way we remember history on screen. And in that alone, it has perhaps already succeeded.