Kesari 2: A Movie on the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and Shankaran Nair's Battle

Mumbai — In a period where historical dramas are gaining renewed momentum in Indian cinema, Dharma Productions is poised to release Kesari Chapter 2 this Friday. The film revisits one of colonial India’s most pivotal courtroom battles following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. Starring Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, and Ananya Panday, the film delves into a defamation case that exposed the horrors of British rule on an international platform.

Based on the critically acclaimed book The Case that Shook the Empire by Raghu and Pushpa Palat, the narrative centers on the legal confrontation between Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair — a prominent Indian nationalist, jurist, and former president of the Indian National Congress — and Sir Michael O’Dwyer, the then lieutenant governor of Punjab and one of the principal figures held responsible for the massacre.

Nair’s controversial book Gandhi and Anarchy openly held O’Dwyer accountable for the massacre carried out under Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, during which British forces opened fire on a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh. Official records placed the death toll at 379, but independent estimates suggest that the figure may have been as high as 3,000, including women and children.

Outraged by the allegations, O’Dwyer demanded the book be withdrawn, along with a public apology and a £1,000 donation to British charities — a demand Nair refused. The result was a landmark defamation case filed in the Court of the King's Bench in London in 1922. Although Nair lost the case, his stand brought global attention to the atrocities of British colonialism and further fueled the Indian independence movement.

In Kesari Chapter 2, Akshay Kumar takes on the role of Nair, portraying the unwavering pursuit of truth and justice against the backdrop of colonial legal systems. R. Madhavan plays the role of the British legal counsel, while Ananya Panday features as a young Indian lawyer navigating a courtroom fraught with imperialist pressures.

The release is notably timed, arriving just three days after the anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre — a tragic event that continues to evoke strong sentiments in both India and abroad.

Calls for accountability have resurfaced in recent times. In the British Parliament, Conservative MP Bob Blackman recently urged the UK government to formally acknowledge and apologise for the massacre. Terming it “a stain on British history,” Blackman recalled the brutal events of April 13, 1919, when troops under General Dyer’s command fired relentlessly on a gathering of unarmed civilians, blocking all exits and continuing the assault until ammunition ran out.

“More than 1,500 were killed, and 1,200 injured,” Blackman stated, highlighting the magnitude of the tragedy and its enduring impact.

By revisiting this critical legal battle, Kesari Chapter 2 seeks to spotlight a lesser-known but historically significant moment in India’s path to freedom — one where a single man’s voice challenged an empire’s might in the courtroom.