‘Bengali freedom fighters insulted in the film’: TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on ‘Kesari Chapter 2’

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh has strongly condemned the makers of the recently released film Kesari Chapter 2, accusing them of “distorting” the facts about Bengal’s role in India’s freedom struggle. Ghosh claimed that the film “insulted” Bengal’s iconic freedom fighters by misrepresenting key historical facts.

The controversy began after a scene in the film allegedly changed the name of revolutionary Khudiram Bose to ‘Khudiram Singh’, which sparked outrage. Ghosh did not hold back his anger, calling the portrayal a serious mistake. He said the film had “insulted” legendary revolutionaries like Khudiram Bose and Barindra Kumar Ghosh.

“Bengali freedom fighters have been insulted in the film. Khudiram Bose has been changed to Khudiram Singh. What is this? The basic facts and names have been distorted. Bengal’s history of the freedom struggle and the history of its freedom fighters have been insulted in a planned manner,” Ghosh said.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: On Akshay Kumar’s ‘Kesari Chapter 2’ film, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh says, “Bengali freedom fighters have been insulted in the film. Khudiram Bose has been changed to Khudiram Singh. What is this? The basic facts and names have been distorted. Bengal’s… pic.twitter.com/tYfPJh4gKV

— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2025

Calling for accountability, Ghosh demanded an apology from Akshay Kumar and the film’s team. “We strongly oppose and condemn this. Akshay Kumar and the unit should apologise for this… Some people are talking about taking legal action. This is a normal thing; it will happen,” he added.

Kesari Chapter 2 is based on the book The Case That Shook The Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat. It focuses on the story of lawyer C Sankaran Nair, played by Akshay Kumar, and events following the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The film also stars R. Madhavan and Ananya Panday.

The film, produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, performed well at the box office and is currently streaming on JioHotstar. (ANI)