BJP Leaders Attend Special Screening Of Kesari Chapter 2, Hail Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan Starrer
New Delhi: Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday attended a special screening of Akshay Kumar-starrer "Kesari Chapter 2" here, praising the historical drama movie for highlighting an overlooked chapter from Indian history.
"Kesari Chapter 2", which is set to be released in theatres on 18, delves into an untold story of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
The two leaders attended the screening along with Delhi ministers Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Kapil Mishra, Ashish Sood, BJP MPs Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj, as well as Akshay and his co-star R Madhavan.
"I want the youth to go and see this movie, draw inspiration from it and to show how in difficult circumstances, you have individuals who stand up and swim against the tide. And that's how the country became independent. That is how we are what we are today. We're going to be one of the largest economies in the world, that's how we're reclaiming confidence," Puri told reporters here after the screening.
He also took a jibe at the Congress, saying the opposition party leaders should watch the movie along with their children.
"I don't want to make a political point out of it... Congress' attitude to some of these things, they have been so busy promoting their own family that they lose sight of the larger reality and what is really important in so far as the country's growth is concerned," he added.
The film, directed by first-time filmmaker Karan Singh Tyagi, narrates the true story of lawyer C Sankaran Nair, who fought a legal battle against the British empire in the 1920s.
The movie is based on the book “The Case That Shook the Empire” by Nair's great grandson Raghu Palat and his wife Pushpa Palat.
It details the 1924 defamation trial in which Michael O’Dwyer, former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab and the architect of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, sued Nair who had criticised British atrocities in Punjab in his book.
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta also praised the movie, saying that it gave her goosebumps.
"It is a marvellous movie. I watched half of the movie and would want to see the full movie. I always say we won't get an opportunity to die for our country, but we can start to live for our country.
"Crores of people sacrificed their lives for the country's independence, but we don't even know their names. It is our duty to start living for our nation," she said.
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra called "Kesari 2" a “brilliant depiction” of the Indian freedom movement.
“Everyone knows about Jallianwala Bagh, but not everyone knows the complete story," he added.
The film's screening in Delhi comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered Nair at a public gathering in Haryana.
“None of you would have heard his name. But these days, he is widely talked about. Nair Ji was a famous lawyer and he occupied a very high position in the then British government. He could have enjoyed power and all luxuries,” Modi told the gathering.
“We must know about the contributions of Sankaran Nair. Every child in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal should know about him,” he added.
Akshay thanked the prime minister for acknowledging Nair's contribution to the freedom struggle.
"He (Modi) knows about the movie and he knew it from the beginning of it and that's very kind of him to say and it so happened that it has come when the movie is getting released," he told reporters.
Madhavan, who essays the role of British lawyer Neville Mckinley, said everyone should watch the movie.
"I have had the good fortune of being a part of some very historic films, a lot of them depicting good stories about our country. I think this will be the proudest film of mine. I think they (youth) should see the film. The message is loud and clear… The days of thinking an Indian is weak are gone. The world should see the film and realise what we are capable of doing," he said.
Produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, "Kesari Chapter 2" also stars Ananya Panday in a pivotal role.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
movies