Kesari Chapter 2

Karan Singh Tyagi's direction is uncomplicated, though he uses a back-and-forth narrative in the beginning. At a basic level, it’s a hero vs villain story. The hero is fighting a gigantic antagonist who has the full support of an unjust system. Hence, one can't help but get disgusted by the villain and root for C Sankaran Nair all along. A few scenes that stand out are Sankaran Nair being stopped for accessing the courtyard as 'dogs and Indians are not allowed', Shankaran's visit to Pargat and Dilreet filing the case with Shankaran's sudden appearance at the court. Post-interval, the Martha Stevens track is very memorable. The climax might seem predictable and yet, it packs a punch. The film ends on an exhilarating note.

Together, they create a compelling narrative. Free from the second half curse, which entails that a film usually dips post intermission, the pace is on point here. High points are neatly spread across the 2 hour 15 minute runtime. The sensitivity with which the entire incident has been dealt with, is admirable. Mass masala films rely on slick action and OTT sequences to evoke laughter and excitement. Here, the dialogues do the trick. Karan, the director, builds such sequences where you can’t help but cheer as the actors deliver impactful lines. Sample: the ‘empire is shrinking’ line which Akshay Kumar delivers in the trailer as well. The dialogues thus by Sumit Saxena are on point.

Kesari Chapter 2 is a must-watch for its gripping courtroom drama, stellar performances, and unflinching portrayal of a dark chapter in history.

‘Kesari 2’, based on the book ‘The Case That Shook The Empire’ by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat, is a handsomely-mounted prestige picture that goes along its expected beats, without any surprises. It may be pertinent to ask if the filmmakers couldn’t get a Keralite to play ‘a man from Keral’, given there are so many brilliant actors working in Malayalam cinema, but given that this is fashioned as an Akshay Kumar vehicle, it’s a pointless question. They did get Regina Cassandra, fresh off her ‘Jaat’ outing, to play Nair’s loyal wife, and she does leave a mark in a small role. The other female character, that of local female lawyer Dilreet Gill is played by Ananya Panday who tries hard to be credible, but there’s only so much she can do with her dialoguing and body language, which remains stubbornly contemporary.