Akshay
Kumar’s
superhero-without-the-cape
act
will
supersede
the
sheer
magnitude
of
the
story,
expects
Mayur
Sanap.
If
Kesari
was
an
epic
war
drama,
its
spiritual
sequel
Kesari
Chapter
2
reveals
itself
as
an
intense
courtroom
drama.
The
premise
takes
a
leaf
from
pre-Independence
history
as
we
see
the
aftermath
of
the
Jallianwala
Bagh
massacre.
The
story
is
as
provocative
and
tragic
as
the
first
Kesari.
A
minute
into
its
three-minute
long
trailer,
the
text
appears:
‘The
most
shocking
lie
ever
told.’
You
expect
the
promise
of
many
cogent
and
morbid
insights
into
the
tragic
event.
But
make
no
mistake,
underneath
the
sheer
nature
of
this
story,
Kesari
Chapter
2
feels
like
a
film
designed
for
Akshay
Kumar.
The
actor
is
completely
at
home
as
he
plays
lawyer
C
Sankaran
Nair
who
challenged
the
British
empire
for
their
crime.
If
Kesari
had
him
fighting,
slicing
and
going
after
relentless
bloodshed,
Chapter
2
shows
him
in
a
black
robe
and
launching
acerbic
verbal
attacks.
He
is
pitted
against
R
Madhavan,
who
is
introduced
as
a
‘genius’
in
the
trailer.
With
round
eyeglasses
and
bushy
grey
beard,
the
actor
is
relishing
his
part
as
the
lawyer
representing
the
British.
Ananya
Panday
continues
to
find
her
spot
within
the
Dharma
stable
in
a
character
that’s
thankfully
not
ornamental,
unlike
Parineeti
Chopra’s
in
Kesari.
But
she
looks
terribly
miscast
as
the
authority-demanding
female
barrister.
The
only
sigh
of
relief
is
that
she
is
not
a
romantic
interest
opposite
Akshay
Kumar.
The
trailer
then
unleashes
graphic
details
of
the
massacre.
An
instant
callback
to
Shoojit
Sircar’s
terrific
Sardar
Udham,
but
here
we
know
that
Akshay
Kumar’s
superhero-without-the-cape
act
will
supersede
the
sheer
magnitude
of
the
story.
Haven’t
we
seen
it
before
how
that
plays
out?
Kesari
Chapter
2
arrives
in
cinemas
on
April
18.
