The trailer of Anurag Singh’s Kesari is every bit that patriotic juggernaut that we expected it to be. It is passionate and bombastic, brimming over with nationalistic indignation as Akshay Kumar, plays a wizened but lionhearted Sardar Ishar Singh who along with 21 Sikh soldiers defeated an Afghan battalion of 10,000 soldiers.
This is a tale of wide-angled valour. And I really can’t see anyone except Akshay carrying it off. There is a certain element of trendy gravitas about his personality which contemporises history (this one is set in 1897) without trivializing it in any way.
And Akshay can nail the jingoistic rhetorics like no one else cab. His bloodcurdling war cry at the end of the trailer is so inspiring it prompted me to mutter ‘Jai Hind’.
Akshay instills a pliable passion into the rhetorics, as his character runs ferociously to annihilate the powerful invaders.
This is a film that wears its heart on the sleeve. Director Anurag Singh has once made a film about a suspected Khalistani terrorist on the run in Punjab 1984. With Kesari he penetrates the big-time with a war cry. And who better to voice it than Akshay Kumar?
The trailer doesn’t have much to give of any other actor. I do hope the the supporting cast which includes a makeup-less Parineeti Chopra trying to look like a Sardarni married to the bravest soldier on that side of 1947, is used properly. What we see in the trailer are CG-induced war sequences. These could have been done better considering the film has four affluent producers, including Akshay Kumar himself and Karan Johar. They were probably cutting down on costs considering Manikarnika got away with such clumsy battle scenes (including shots of Kangana Ranaut as Jhani Ki Rani riding wooden horse).
Kesari looks and feels authentic. Standing at the centre of this sanguinary world Akshay Kumar lords over the proceedings like a wounded lion. March 23 is the release date for this recreation of a chunk of India’s freedom movement that many filmmakers have been trying to put together for years. But none succeeded.
Akshay Kumar was destined to play Havildar Ishar Singh. He told me this is the toughest role of his career. Not only did he carry a heavy turban and thick lengthy beard, he also had to play man who wouldn’t stop at anything to protect his nation.
This is the mood that the country is now experiencing.
Kesari echoes the public sentiment. Don’t stop at anything to crush the enemy. In one sequence an Afghan enemy threatens to subjugate India and its people.
Akshay stares at the big-talking enemy and says, “Chal joothe”, as though someone had just told him that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is not only beautiful, she can also act. A little bit of humour never hurt the national pride.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=JFP24D15_XM
Recent Random Post:
Tollywood Workers’ Strike and Production Value Debate
The way films are made in Tollywood is gradually changing. Producers are increasingly favoring big-budget movies with grand setups and stunning visuals, aiming to create spectacular cinematic experiences. Naturally, this drives up the overall cost of production. However, despite pouring in crores of rupees into their projects, the workers in the industry have been demanding higher wages and have been on strike for the past week.
Several rounds of discussions have taken place between the federation leaders and producers. Finally, in a meeting held on Saturday, producers agreed to increase workers’ wages under certain conditions. But the federation leaders were not satisfied with this agreement, claiming that the producers’ demands are aimed at splitting the federation.
This ongoing situation has sparked widespread debate about the real ground realities in the Tollywood film industry. In a recent interview, renowned director Ram Gopal Varma weighed in on the issue. He criticized producers for constantly comparing their films with other movies and spending crores just to outdo them. He knows who these producers are but chose not to name them. Varma also commented on the term “production value,” saying it’s a concept unique to Tollywood and unheard of in other Indian film industries.
According to him, producers have an obsession with scaling up everything. For example, if there’s a scene in the film “Magadheera” with a certain set size, they want their sets to be 20 feet bigger. If “Magadheera” used 10 horses, they expect to use 40 in their film. This obsession with grandeur is seen as a major achievement by producers here. He pointed out that in Malayalam cinema, the term “production value” doesn’t even exist, and Bollywood doesn’t face this issue either. Yet, in Tollywood, critics often praise films just because of their production values.
Meanwhile, the strike by Tollywood workers demanding wage hikes has become a hot topic over the past week. Although producers finally agreed to increase wages, the federation leaders remain unconvinced, alleging that the producers’ conditions could divide the federation further.
