Watched Kesari 2? Then, you would have loved Sir Chettur Shankaran Nair’s character too. The lesser known historical figure helped expose the British Raj’s hypocrisy and also let the world know about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Years later, Kesari 2, featuring Akshay Kumar, Madhavan, Ananya Panday, and more, reminded people of the same horror.
As the film retold the story, even those who didn’t believe Nair’s testimonies back then have come out to expose the truth now.
The latest is the BBC that recently released an article titled, ‘The Indian who called out a massacre – and shamed the British Empire.”
The article talked about how C. Shankaran Nair’s criticism of British-occupied Punjab’s then Lieutenant Governor, Michael O’Dwyer, led to a libel case against him. It further talked about how the entire case helped spotlight the massacre and the actions of British officials.
This only proves how impactful Kesari 2 has been in reigniting conversations around forgotten heroes and uncomfortable truths. The film has not only entertained but also educated a generation that may have never heard of C. Shankaran Nair.
And if the BBC is now acknowledging it, maybe the world is finally ready to confront its colonial past, one story at a time.
