'Kesari Chapter 2' tells the story of a man who stood up to the might of the British Empire to bring the truth of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to the world. Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair.
Firebrand lawyer, leader and reformist, Nair was the highest-ranking Indian in the British Viceroy’s Council, But when the Jallianwala Bagh massacre happened, he refused to stay silent.
April 13, 1919. A day that shook India. General Dyer’s troops opened fire on thousands of unarmed men, women, and children in Amritsar. 400+ killed. 1,200+ injured.
The British tried to cover it up, calling it "necessary force". Nair called it ‘murder’ and resigned from the Viceroy’s Council, the first Indian at his rank to do so. His message? "I will not serve a regime that massacres my people."
Nair wasn’t done. He wrote a book, 'Gandhi and Anarchy', exposing the British cover-up of Jallianwala Bagh and named the officials responsible for the massacre. This made him a direct target of the British Raj.
In response, Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, sued Nair for defamation in London. This trial became one of the most significant courtroom battles of colonial India.
It revealed shocking truths: the massacre was premeditated, not a panic response. British officials justified the killings, and a harsher martial law was already in the works to crush Indian dissent.
But the result was a sham. It's documented that the judge who heard the case was openly prejudiced against Nair, and the jury’s verdict was not unanimous.
The hearing ran for over 5 weeks, one of the longest civil trials in history, Ultimately, Nair opted to pay damages (500 pounds) rather than tender an apology to O’Dwyer.
Even though Nair lost the case, his courage paved the way for global scrutiny of British atrocities in India and his fight fueled India's growing Independence movement.
Now, his story finally hits the big screen. ‘Kesari Chapter 2’ brings Nair’s fight for truth to life. A reminder that real heroes don’t just fight battles, they change history.