New Delhi, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar on Thursday said he wants to bring out untold stories of valour from across India, including Punjab, to the big screen as he believes history books have been mostly written from the perspective of the British.
The actor’s latest film is “Kesari Chapter 2”, which delves into an untold story of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The film is the second part in the “Kesari” franchise that started with 2019 movie “Kesari”, which revolved around the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897.
“The people of Punjab are all very brave, loyal and filled with valour. And I want to bring their stories in front of everyone. I want to make ‘Kesari 3 and 4’. There are so many chapters in Punjab and in the whole of India… I want to bring out the valour, the things which India does.
“I have done it earlier because our history books have been written according to the British. And I want to bring the actual history in front of people,” Akshay said at the trailer launch event of “Kesari Chapter 2” here.
Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the film narrates the true story of lawyer C Sankaran Nair, who fought a legal battle against the British empire in the 1920s.
The movie is based on the book “The Case That Shook the Empire” by Nair’s great grandson Raghu Palat and his wife Pushpa Palat.
It details the 1924 defamation trial in which Michael O’Dwyer, former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab and the architect of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, sued Nair who had criticised British atrocities in Punjab in his book.
Akshay said he had no knowledge about the trial before Raghu Palat’s book.
“The book tells us so much that had happened, which we don’t know about. In the history books, we read that there was a firing and General O’Dwyer said he only stopped because the bullets had finished.
“But the more deeper thing, we never knew about it. We never knew about the case which went on. Sankaran Nair fought the case… Let me tell you one thing, Sankaran Nair defeated their white judge in their court. And this was the only case in their rule of over 200 years that we won. It was a big thing for us.”
The 57-year-old actor said he feels a personal connection to “Kesari Chapter 2”.
“It’s a very important film. My dad was born just opposite Jallianwala Bagh. There is a street called Katra Ahluwalia and he was born there. And my grandfather had also seen all this.
“We made this film out of anger because I listened to the stories of that incident. My dad told me, my grandfather told me,” he said.
“Kesari Chapter 2”, which is set to be released in theatres on April 18, is directed by first-time filmmaker Karan Singh Tyagi. It also features R Madhavan and Ananya Panday.
Johar said the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was a dark chapter in history.
“We’re releasing this film in the same month in memory of those lives that were lost, the wounds that are still raw and the sadness that engulfs Jallianwala Bagh even today.
“It is yet a film that asks the British Empire for an apology through the brave narrative of Sankaran Nair… This film is about the battle fought by Sankaran Nair versus the crown,” he said.
Panday, who plays the role of young lawyer Dilreet Gill in the movie, said the character resonated a lot with her.
“Every film that I do has pieces of me in it… I tried to channel that raw nervous energy of an upcoming lawyer… She is the only female lawyer among so many men. So that power that she got from within while she was fighting that case, I tried to channel a bit of that from my own experience of starting my career when I was 18… So I did try to take a little bit of my life from that,” she said, adding that she had to learn Punjabi for the movie.
The actor said her knowledge about the massacre was also very limited and there were many unbelievable moments during the making.
“I had heard a lot of stories from my grandmother. I had heard a lot of stories about partition because my grandfather was separated from his father in the partition…
“I remember when the narration happened, I was constantly asking, ‘Did this really happen?’ I was shocked that so much happened and we don’t even know one per cent of it. So thanks to the book and thanks to the script, I got to learn a lot. I hope that people watch this movie and they learn as well,” she added.
Madhavan stars as the British lawyer Neville Mckinley and he said the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was a genocide.
“I felt that this was a story that needed to be told. I don’t think about whether it’s positive or negative. I just want to convey the truth, even if it’s harsh… That’s when I’ll know I’ve succeeded in my career,” he added.
“Kesari Chapter 2” is written by Karan Singh Tyagi and Amritpal Singh Bindra. It is presented by Dharma Production, Kumar’s Cape of Good Films and Leo Media Collective.
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