FIR against Akshay Kumar's Kesari Chapter 2 for allegedly 'distorting' Bengal's freedom struggle

Akshay Kumar's Kesari Chapter 2 lands in legal trouble

Akshay Kumar starrer historical drama Kesari Chapter 2, which received positive reviews during its theatrical run, recently landed in legal trouble. The film was recently released on the OTT platform, and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has accused the film's makers of misrepresenting Bengal's contribution to India's freedom struggle.

The party has filed an FIR against seven producers of Kesari 2 at Bidhannagar South police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The film has recently sparked controversy for allegedly altering historical facts by renaming and replacing key revolutionaries. The party claimed that the iconic freedom fighters Khudiram Bose and Barindra Kumar Ghosh were misrepresented in the film.

The TMC criticised the film for allegedly distorting history by referring to Bose as "Khudiram Singh" and depicting Barindra Ghosh as "Birendra Kumar" from Amritsar.

During a recent press conference, senior TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Arup Chakraborty addressed Bengal’s contribution to freedom and slammed the filmmakers for the misrepresentation.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also called out Kesari filmmakers and alleged that there have been several attempts to undermine Bengal’s revolutionaries. She said, “There are attempts to undermine the role played by the Bengali revolutionaries during the independence struggle. We condemn this. The BJP has been targeting Bengal and our cultural heritage.”

Kunal claimed, “The names of Bengali revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for India's freedom were being distorted. This is not just a mistake, this is a conspiracy to erase Bengal's role in the freedom movement. How did such a film get a censor certificate?”

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He also claimed that the film’s makers had replaced Hemchandra Kanungo, who trained young revolutionaries in bomb-making, with a fictional character named Kripal Singh. The party also demanded strict action and accountability from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

TMC questioned, “Why didn't the censor board flag these historical distortions? Who allowed such a film to pass certification?”

Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, Kesari Chapter 2 stars Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, and Ananya Panday in the pivotal roles and is inspired by the book The Case That Shook the Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat. Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the film is currently available to stream on JioHotstar.