‘Kesari Chapter 2' breaks fake narratives about Jallianwala Bagh killings: Karan Singh Tyagi

India Today

14-05-2025

Karan Singh Tyagi had a cushy life as a lawyer in New York, but one fine day, he told his law firm partner he wanted to take a sabbatical and give filmmaking—his passion—a shot. From starting out as a clapper boy in Vishal Bhardwaj's Rangoon (2017) to directing Akshay Kumar in the hit Karan Johar-produced historical drama Kesari Chapter 2 (Rs 84 crore in collections and counting), Tyagi has come a long way.'My father inculcated in me a love for movies,' shares Tyagi, seated at the Dharma Productions office in Mumbai's Andheri. 'Every Friday night, we'd go to the cinema. Watching films was a religion; dissecting and talking about them was an outlet for me.'It's while doing the latter that Tyagi would get to know Somen Mishra, who'd run the blog site moifightclub, for which Tyagi would write articles. Their paths would cross again as Mishra joined Dharma Productions, later becoming its head of creative development, and Tyagi began developing several project ideas for it, including a script he hopes will see the light of day.'Somen was instrumental in getting this film (Kesari Chapter 2) made,' says Tyagi. 'He backed Amrit (Amritpal Singh Bindra, co-writer) and I on the film.'advertisementPrior to striking big with his feature film debut, Tyagi earned his credits with Leo Media Collective. He was part of the writing team for season two of Amazon Prime series Bandish Bandits and also worked on the series Kaalkoot (JioCinema).Kesari Chapter 2 is the result of Dharma and Leo Media Collective banding together. Says Tyagi, 'They championed a first-time director.' In a conversation with INDIA TODAY, the Harvard Law School alumnus talks about his film, which shines a light on nationalist lawyer C. Sankaran Nair, who had taken on the British over the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and addresses the criticisms directed at it.Q. There's been some criticism about how you have apparently taken too much creative licence with history in telling the story of C. Sankaran Nair.A. I took an insight from Sankaran Nair's life—he was knighted by the British, worked for them and fought a case against them. I wanted the transformation to be clear—the character arc of British loyalist to the biggest patriot play out.While adapting a court case—the actual case went on for months—we were compressing it for a two-hour film. When you do that, you have to compress the timeline and combine characters. I wanted my film to be seen by maximum number of people, which explains the choices we made.advertisementThe real case took place half in Punjab and half in London. For ease of communication and language, we kept it as one singular venue. Here is where my legal experience comes in. Our case is about what really happened at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. We have not deviated from the incident. A plane did fly over the gathering; a fake curfew was imposed to label people as terrorists; Gorkha and Baloch soldiers were called in (Sikh soldiers would refuse shoot-at-sight orders). We were cognisant we wanted to use the word genocide, something the world hasn't acknowledged.We were adapting the book written by the great grandson of Nair. His family was involved at the scripting stage; they were the first to watch the film and give their stamp of approval.Q. There's concern that viewers may believe all the events depicted in the film actually happened. A. I am a huge fan of [Hollywood screenwriter] Aaron Sorkin, and there's a quote of his—that movies on real-life people and incidents need not be photographs; they can be paintings. When you paint, you have more latitude in creating drama and interpersonal dynamics. We have not deviated from the soul of Nair's life. The movie brings the story out into the public domain. I want more people to read the book and know more about Nair's life.Q. Akshay Kumar, as Sankaran Nair in the film, at one point uses the F word in courtroom. This has had both audiences cheering in cinemas and others talking about courtroom decorum and historical accuracy. Was the film an outlet for you to vent your rage and anguish about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?A. For us, it was that Nair couldn't have fired a bullet, so he used his voice to seek justice. For me, the entire last scene is reflective of the new, modern India, which doesn't hesitate to look the oppressor in the eye and hold them accountable. It was very important to use the F word and show the confrontational side. We have been submissive for far too long.advertisementGeneral Michael Dyer committed a heinous act, but what did the British empire do? They protected him and put their entire might in putting forth a narrative that the innocent children [at Jallianwala Bagh] were armed terrorists. A pension fund was set up for Dyer, and Rudyard Kipling wrote an article about how he saved India. People still believe in that fake narrative. We wanted to demolish it, send the message that we will hold you accountable.Q. It's a period tale but there's also some contemporary relevance—at least some scenes and dialogues suggest so.A. One of the main reasons why the massacre took place is that Hindus and Muslims had come together to protest against the Rowlatt Act during Ram Navami, which was a big blow to the empire's policy of divide and rule. We are just carrying that thought forward. It's a period film which speaks to the present. We live in a time when unlawful detentions happen around us and artists are held accountable for their thoughts and words.advertisementThe quote 'Empires perish because they listen to their lawyers and ministers and not to their poets' was the driving factor when writing this film. Kesari Chapter 2 begins with a case of a revolutionary poet (Kripal Singh) being held accountable for his work. Nair's transformation happens because of Kripal Singh and what happens to his son. His journey is that of a lawyer who fought the case with the soul of a poet and a revolutionary. I wanted that message to be as clear and loud as possible.advertisementQ. What are you working on next?A. I'm writing my next. It will be a drama reflective of the beautiful country we live in and a commentary on today's time. I want my films to be seen by the entire country.Q. So no regrets about leaving law behind?A. None whatsoever. The reading part of law remains intact, and my wife is a lawyer. There's gratitude that I got a second chance to do something I am passionate about. Law has helped me acquire a structured way of approaching a particular problem and the ability to argue.Subscribe to India Today Magazine