Nearly two months after its theatrical debut, the Akshay Kumar-led Kesari 2, which recounts true historical events, will now be available on the OTT platform. Streaming giant JioHotstar had announced via their social media that the second instalment of the Kesari franchise will be available for streaming from June 13.
The film follows the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre when Malayali advocate C. Sankaran Nair was tasked by the British Empire to formulate a report on the incident. He finds the massacre, ordered and orchestrated by General Reginald Dyer, highly unjustifiable, and decides to challenge the British Crown in court. Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, the film stars Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, Ananya Panday, Regina Cassandra, and Simon Paisley Day.
Kesari 2 is the second instalment of the Kesari franchise which first debuted in 2019 and chronicled the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897.
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Kumar was immediately drawn to the story, also penned by Tyagi. “The moment I heard it, I knew I had to be part of this film. History often hides what truly matters, and this film uncovers one such powerful moment," he said during a press conference.
The Tyagi directorial received tepid reviews, with Sajin Shrijith of THE WEEK remarking, “I wish the film carried more punch. Take the emotional bits, for example, and the use of music in them. Why not use an instrumental score to accompany them instead of a song?”
Owing to its weak depiction of real-life events, coupled with a lacklustre critical reception, Kesari 2 failed to meet its budget during its theatrical release, managing to scrape only Rs 143 crore against a budget of Rs 150. v
