Sequels and franchises seem to be the new trend in Bollywood town. Over 40 such projects are already in various stages of development, with the list only continuing to grow. The latest addition is Dharma Productions’ upcoming film set against the backdrop of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. PeepingMoon.com has exclusively learned that Karan Johar is giving his much-awaited biopic of C. Shankaran Nair a franchise treatment. The Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, and Ananya Panday starrer will now be titled ‘Kesari 2’, borrowing the name from Dharma Productions’ 2019 terrific war drama, ‘Kesari’.
The film has apparently been rebranded to leverage the established recognition and thematic similarity with its namesake. “Although this film has no direct connection to ‘Kesari’, both films share a common thread of bravery, inspiration, and patriotism as their core elements. Like ‘Kesari’, this new film also narrates a significant chapter of history, exploring themes of nationalism and heroism. While their narratives are completely distinct, the thematic similarities led the makers to rename the project ‘Kesari 2’ instead of the previously planned ‘Shankara’,” a source close to the development revealed.
The decision to position the film as a sequel to a successful project like ‘Kesari’ is being considered a strategic move as it capitalizes on the familiarity and goodwill associated with the original. In today’s market, selling sequels and franchise films is often more commercially viable than promoting original titles, which may have influenced the maker’s strategic choice. The fact that Akshay plays the lead role in both films further reinforces this decision. Interestingly, ‘Kesari 2’ adds to his extensive lineup of sequels this year. He is already set to appear in ‘Jolly LLB 3’ (April 10), ‘Housefull 5’ (June 6), and ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ (Christmas weekend), making ‘Kesari 2’ his fourth sequel slated for release in 2025.
We have also heard that the film has been postponed from its initially scheduled release on March 14. While the exact reason for the delay remains unclear and the new release date hasn’t been revealed yet, this shift allows for better spacing between Akshay’s two releases, ‘Sky Force’ (in cinemas now) and ‘Jolly LLB 3’, which is set to hit theaters on April 10.
The Dharma Productions venture is adapted from Raghu Palat’s book, ‘The Case That Shook the Empire’, and unravels the legendary courtroom battle that Sankaran Nair fought against the British Raj to uncover the truth about the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. Debutant Karan Singh Tyagi has directed this biographical drama, co-written by Amritpal Bindra, Sumit Saxena, and Akshat Ghildial.
