Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, along with co-actors R Madhavan, Ananya Panday, and producers Karan Johar and Apoorva Lakhia, were in Delhi for the launch of the Kesari 2 trailer. The trailer had everyone in awe of the actor, but what caught our attention was Akshay’s use of the phrase "F*ck you" for the first time onscreen.
In response to a question posed by Money Control, Akshay said he doesn't find it offensive, as being called "slave" by the Britishers hurt him more.
"Aapne ye cheez dekhi hai lekin woh jo word unhone use kiya tha, 'You are still a slave,' was that right? And was it not a big gaali for you? I think usse badi gaali aur kuch nahi ho sakti. I would have been happy if you had said they used the word 'slave' rather than talking about 'F*ck you.' Mere hisaab se agar unhone goli bhi maar di hoti na, toh bhi chota rehta," said Akshay in reply.
During the course of the interaction, Akshay also confirmed that they will indeed be returning with Kesari 3. It will be made on Sikh General Hari Singh Nalwa.
He also spoke about how Kesari 2 was made with anger—anger against the Britishers.
Kesari 2 is set to release on April 18.
Watch trailer here:
For the uninitiated, Kesari 2 tells the story of barrister C Sankaran Nair and how he fought against the British Raj to uncover the real truth behind the disastrous Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
During the launch event, Akshay said he wants to bring out untold stories of valour from across India, including Punjab, to the big screen. He said he believes history books have been mostly written from the perspective of the British.
"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 told reporters at the launch.
Akshay plays the role of lawyer C Sankaran Nair and Kesari Chapter 2 narrates the true story of the lawyer 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. The film has been produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.
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 admitted that he had no knowledge about the trial before he actually got to read 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," he added.
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," Akshay added.
Kesari Chapter 2, is going to release in theatres on April 18 and is directed by debutant filmmaker Karan Singh Tyagi.
It also features R Madhavan and Ananya Panday in pivotal roles.
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