Why Ananya Panday’s intense performance in Karan Johar’s ‘Kesari-Chapter 2’ had papa Chunky Panday reacting with both 'tears-and-cheers' ? by Chaitanya Padukone

Exactly 106 Years Ago, on April 13, 1919, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place, where thousands of unarmed civilians gathered peacefully at Jallianwala Bagh

By Chaitanya Padukone 14 Apr 2025 in Entertainment

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Exactly 106 Years Ago, on April 13, 1919, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place, where thousands of unarmed civilians gathered peacefully at Jallianwala Bagh — only to be brutally gunned down under orders of the tyrannical British regime without prior warning.

This landmark authentic historical period 2025 movie produced jointly by Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar, and Adar Poonawalla ----which is titled Kesari Chapter 2 – The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh brings back on screen the daring legal crusade of eminent lawyer Mr C Sankaran Nair. The forgotten Hero who fought back against the mighty British Empire and exposed the bitter truth behind the brutal killings.

Press Conference of Kesari Chapter 2

This landmark authentic movie written and directed by Karan Singh Tyagi has mega-star Akshay Kumar passionately playing the significant title-role of lawyer Sankaran Nair, who is assisted in the movie by a junior lawyer (Dilreet Gill) played convincingly by amazing actress Ananya Panday. The ensemble cast also includes stalwart star actor R.Madhavan as Advocate Neville, Regina Cassandra and noted British actor Simon Paisley Day as General Reginald Dyer.

Ananya Panday in Kesari-2 scene

Press Conference of Kesari Chapter 2: Ananya Panday

Ananya Panday who was well-appreciated in her riveting roles in recent Amazon Prime comedy series ‘Call Me Bae’ and thriller Netflix movie ‘CTRL’ has candidly reacted that this movie Kesari Chapter-2 was an eye-opener and a revelation. “After reading the script and acting in the historic bio-pic movie, I fully understood as regards the sacrifices made by thousands of people for India’s freedom. As the younger generation, we often tend to take our precious freedom for granted or very lightly,” said Ananya whose star-father Chunky Pandey seemed “overwhelmed with emotion ( tears) and appreciation (cheers) when I saw my versatile talented daughter Ananya perform so well, in an image-defying serious character of a dynamic lawyer. That too in a landmark historic period bio-pic”. Wasn’t it true that Chunky had never acted in any historical bio-pic ? Disclosed Chunky, “All through my over 35 years acting career I have acted in so many super-hit movies which created box-office ‘history’. But I have never acted in a historical bio-pic so far. But Ananya who is just 26 years old, has now done a historical bio-pic, So it’s an emotional pride for me, Frankly, I salute her decision to accept this unconventional role of a Punjabi lawyer, in a big-screen movie.. Also I am delighted that Ananya got to work first-time with senior co-star Akshay Kumar, with whom I have done many movies, “ said Chunky speaking exclusively to me. As a senior film journalist, I have met Ananya as a little girl and followed her career-graph, since Chunky is my good friend off-screen, since past over three decades,.

Press Conference of 'Kesari Chapter 2 - Mumbai: Press Conference of 'Kesari Chapter 2'

The film sheds glaring and daring lights on how Sankaran Nair, a senior Indian member of the Viceroy’s council and once knighted by the Empire, stood up and fought for the truth after the brutal massacre in 1919. The story highlights how Nair proved that the massacre was not a spontaneous reaction to a riot, but a calculated, deliberate, pre-planned brutal act — what we would corectly call a 'genocide'.

The lead actors Akshay Kumar and Ananya Panday also clicked a picture together. (Image: Viral Bhayani)

Director Karan Singh Tyagi believes in today’s times, the story is more relevant and relatable than ever. He says, "The event speaks to the present times that we live in. It's a post-truth world where fake false news is rampant. I was fascinated that when people read about the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy, the next day, the actual brutal truth was suppressed," says Tyagi.. The debutant director. also points out how the British tried to silence every voice that spoke against the massacre."There were regional newspapers that wanted to report the truth, which got burned down. There's this famous poem written by a survivor called Khooni Baisakhi—the British Empire went to great lengths to ban that poem. The Empire started spreading a fake narrative... where the victims were falsely labeled as looters and even terrorists... I think it's a fascinating story to bring to the people in 2025." Tyagi's approach in the film is twofold — to explore what the British planned and did before and after April 13, 1919, and to examine the deeply human cost of it all. "This is the story of Sankaran Nair, who was knighted by the British Empire... For him to then take on the British in the most dramatic of ways is a story of valour. When he resigned from the council, he told the Viceroy [who can be compared to the PM today] that your empire is being run by yes-men so why don't you make the jamaadar replace me."

Kesari: Chapter 2 director Karan Singh Tyagi.

Karan Tyagi, a student of law and politics, was drawn to the story for its deep political and emotional layers. The film is based on the book The Case That Shook the Empire, written by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat, Nair's great-grandson and his wife. Tyagi also dug deep into historical research — reading books by authors like Kim Wagner, V.N. Datta, and Kishwar Desai, along with survivor accounts and government commissions. “Do you know Kesari is the colour of revolution? For us, the baton of revolution is being passed down to this story where one man is taking on the empire. Revolution seems like a big term but its essence is quite simple—standing up for what's right." insists Tyagi