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.
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