Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language historical courtroom drama film directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and produced by Dharma Productions, Leo Media Collective, and Cape of Good Films.[7][8] A spiritual sequel to Kesari (2019), the plot is based on the book The Case That Shook The Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat, centred around C. Sankaran Nair and the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.[9] The film stars Akshay Kumar as Nair and also features R. Madhavan and Ananya Panday.[10][11] It was released on 18 April 2025, marking the 106th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.[12]
The film follows C. Sankaran Nair, a distinguished Indian barrister and member of the Viceroy’s Council, initially tasked by the British to investigate the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, expecting a report in their favor. As Nair uncovers the horrific truth of General Reginald Dyer’s ordered slaughter of unarmed civilians in Amritsar, his conscience drives him to sue The Crown and Dyer for genocide, challenging the British Empire’s narrative.
Aided by a young revolutionary, Pargat Singh, and a determined law student, Dilreet Gill, Nair faces off against Neville McKinley, a jaded Anglo-Indian lawyer with a personal vendetta, appointed to defend the British Empire. The intense courtroom battle exposes the colonial suppression of truth and media manipulation, while Nair’s pursuit of justice sparks a surge of patriotic resistance.
The film was initially titled Shankara,[15] then it was renamed as Kesari Chapter 2 in February 2025[16][17] to establish a thematic link with Kesari (2019).[10] It was officially announced by Karan Johar on 22 March 2025.[8] It is based on the life of C. Sankaran Nair who fought against the British Raj to uncover the truth about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.[18] The brutal killing of thousands of unarmed Indian protestors in Amritsar.[19] Advocate Neville McKinley was a fictional character that was an amalgamation of ten different historical figures.[20]
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