Shashi Tharoor claims Sankaran Nair would never have used words Akshay Kumar did in ‘Kesari Chapter 2’

Mumbai: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recently watched Akshay Kumar’s recent release, “Kesari Chapter 2,” and praised the movie for its portrayal.

However, he expressed concerns over certain dialogue choices in the film, stating that C. Sankaran Nair would never have used the words spoken by Akshay’s character in the film. After watching the film, Shashi Tharoor expressed his opinions, praising the historical drama for its overall impact. The Congress MP shared, “I thought it was an amazingly well-made, well-crafted film. It took some liberties with historical fact, but it says at the very beginning it’s fiction. But what it did was capture the spirit of resistance, especially using the instruments of the British court system. You can’t win in the end. And we, sadly, waited 28 years after Jallianwala Bagh to become free.”

“But the message of the film was brilliantly done. I must say, as usual, in a very high-quality production, the acting, the direction, the way the story unfolded, everything was just so compelling. There wasn’t one dull moment. I mean, I was worried that for many people, just seeing courtroom scenes might not be so compelling.”

Shashi Tharoor, who is himself from Kerala, went on to state, “But the way the story came out, I think it was impossible to turn your eye away for one second. Very riveting, very well done. I’ve been a fan of Sir Chettur Shankaran Nair for a long time. In fact, eight years ago, here in Tiruvannamalai, I delivered a speech memorializing him and talking about his life and achievements. But though some of this, of course, romanticizes him, if you like, in a very, very positive way, I think the fact that he was a man of courage and principle and integrity comes through. He would never have used some of the words that Akshay Kumar uses, particularly a certain four-letter word, which would never have come out of Sir Chettur Shankaran Nair.”

Akshay Kumar, who portrays the role of lawyer C. Sankaran Nair in the film, used the phrase “f**k you” in one of the scenes.

Shashi added, “I can tell you that for sure. But the spirit, the message, and the very clever way in which the message was allowed to come across were extremely well done. And I will say that, you know, we need films to remind people of some of the atrocities that were inflicted. Jallianwala Bagh, in particular, was in many ways emblematic of the worst sins of the British Raj. I am proud that when I wrote my book about the empire, Inglorious Empire in England in the Era of Darkness Here, and when I then did a book tour in the UK, the point I made very strongly was the need for an apology for the massacre. And I’m glad that at the end of the film, they made the point in their screenshot that the one thing the British have never done is say sorry.”

“On the 100th anniversary in 2019, the Prime Minister did speak in the House of Commons, but all she said was that they regret the events of that day. That’s not the same as an apology. And I think this film is a reminder to the British and to all of us that that apology is still due. But my congratulations to the filmmakers. They’ve done a wonderful job, and I certainly would not hesitate to recommend this film to audiences across our country, with subtitles in English as well. Let them watch it,” Tharoor further mentioned.

On a related note, “Kesari: Chapter 2,” directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, also stars R. Madhavan, Ananya Panday, and Regina Cassandra. Set against the backdrop of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the film was released in theatres on April 18, 2025.

IANS