New Delhi:
Akshay Kumar’s latest historical drama, Kesari Chapter 2, co-starring R Madhavan and Ananya Panday, has showed consistent improvement at the box office since its release.
The film concluded its opening weekend on a positive note, achieving double-digit earnings on its third day. Sunday saw a notable increase in collections, with the film bringing in Rs 12.25 crore, taking its total nett India collection to Rs 29.75 crore.
According to Sacnilk, the film accumulated Rs 17.92 crore during its first two days.
While these numbers surpass Akshay Kumar’s previous releases Khel Khel Mein and Sarfira, they fall significantly short of his January 2025 release, Sky Force, which collected over Rs 60 crore in its initial three days.
The current release also trails behind Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, although it has performed better than Khel Khel Mein and Sarfira.
The film hasn’t matched the performance of its predecessor, Kesari, which had amassed Rs 56.56 crore during its opening weekend.
On Sunday, the film recorded an overall occupancy rate of 32.23% across 3,992 shows nationwide. Chennai led with the highest occupancy at 72.25% across 47 shows, while Hyderabad registered 46.25% for 156 shows, and Bengaluru achieved 43.50% with 269 shows. Mumbai saw 28.75% occupancy across 796 shows, and Delhi-NCR recorded 35.25% with 950 shows.
Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story Of Jallianwala Bagh is directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and produced by Dharma Productions, Leo Media Collective, and Cape Of Good Films. The cast includes R Madhavan, Ananya Panday, Alexx O’Nell, and Regina Cassandra in significant roles.
The film, made reportedly on a budget of Rs 150 crore, stars Akshay Kumar as legendary lawyer C. Sankaran Nair and explores the untold story behind the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
The incident, which occurred on April 13, 1919, during the festival of Baisakhi in Amritsar, is considered one of the darkest chapters in India’s colonial history.
Thousands had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to peacefully protest against the Rowlatt Act and demand the release of leaders Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew.
British officer Brigadier General Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on the unarmed crowd without warning.
According to the Ministry of Culture, 1,650 rounds were fired, and the shooting stopped only when the ammunition ran out. While British records stated 291 people died, Indian estimates suggest over 500 casualties.
Kesari 2 follows the 2019 film Kesari, which depicted the Battle of Saragarhi, where 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army fought against 10,000 Pashtun tribesmen. The first film starred Parineeti Chopra in a key role.
