Akshay Kumar distances himself from political row over ‘Kesari 2’

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar has chosen to steer clear of a political row sparked ahead of the release of his upcoming historical legal drama Kesari 2, in which he portrays the eminent lawyer and pre-independence Indian National Congress president, Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair.

The controversy emerged following comments from BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who criticised the Congress party for allegedly neglecting the legacy of prominent freedom fighters such as Sankaran Nair, Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

In a lengthy social media post, Chandrasekhar accused the Congress of sidelining these figures to promote the interests of the “Congress dynasty”.

Addressing the media at a press conference on Friday, Akshay Kumar made it clear that he has no intention of engaging in political debates surrounding the film. “I am not a historian. I am just an actor,” Kumar said. “What somebody is saying, what any politician is saying — I am not going to get into that. I just made this film, and I just want people to realise what happened.”

Kesari 2 is set against the backdrop of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre and follows the legal battle fought by Chettur Sankaran Nair against British official Michael O’Dwyer, who was widely held responsible for the massacre.

Kumar explained that the film was created with careful attention to historical accounts and personal anecdotes. “We made it according to the book — whatever I understood, whatever stories I heard from my father — the film is an amalgamation of all those. Beyond that, who said what politically, I don't want to get into it,” he said.