Akshay Kumar’s latest historical drama Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh failed to make a splash on its opening day, earning Rs 7.50 crore nett at the domestic box office on Friday, according to industry data-tracking portal Sacnilk.
Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and produced by Dharma Productions, Leo Media Collective, and Cape of Good Films, Kesari Chapter 2 is a spiritual successor to the 2019 war drama Kesari. While the first film chronicled the Battle of Saragarhi, this sequel shifts focus to the courtroom, narrating the lesser-known story of C. Sankaran Nair, a fiery lawyer who took on the British Empire following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Akshay Kumar portrays Nair, leading a cast that includes R. Madhavan as British advocate Neville McKinley and Ananya Panday as Nair’s co-counsel Diljeet Gill. Despite its strong ensemble and patriotic theme, the film opened to modest numbers — significantly lower than Akshay’s previous release Sky Force, which raked in Rs 12.25 crore nett on its first day in January.
Meanwhile, Sunny Deol’s action drama Jaat entered its second week on Friday, collecting Rs 4.16 crore nett domestically, taking its total earnings to Rs 65.81 crore nett in nine days. Directed by Gopichand Malineni, the film features Randeep Hooda, Viineet Kumar Siingh, Ramya Krishnan, and Jagapathi Babu in key roles.