Kesari Chapter 2 was released in theaters on April 18, 2025. Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, Kesari Chapter 2 is inspired by the true story of an Indian-origin barrister named C Sankaran Nair and his court battle against the British crown over the infamous Jallianwalabagh Massacre in Amritsar, Punjab. For the unversed, Advocate Nair sued General O'Dwayer and the British crown for genocide as shown in the movie.
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar plays the protagonist, C Sankaran Nair, R Madhavan plays Adv. Neville McKinley, Ananya Pandey plays Advocate Dilreet Gill and Jaipreet Singh plays a Punjabi revolutionary poet named Kirpal Singh. Since the movie is based on a true story, fans are digging deep into the real-life Kirpal Singh, or who was real-life Punjabi poet Kirpal Singh, played by actor Jaipreet Singh-
Who was Kirpal Singh?
Kesari Chapter 2 starts with C Sankaran Nair getting hired to put a Punjabi poet Kirpal Singh behind bars, as the British lawyers were not able to prove crimes against him. Kirpal Singh served in the British forces and even went on to fight World War 1 for the British. The British had reportedly promised the Indians to give them autonomy status if they fought in the World War for them. However, after the war, the British stabbed Indians in the back and backtracked from their promise. This incited Kirpal Singh to become a revolutionary. Kirpal Singh used his poems to induce revolution among Punjabis. Kirpal Singh used to address students in Punjab colleges, so that students also sought freedom for India.
In order to silence Kirpal Singh, the Crown hired Sankaran Nair, who went on to prove in court him a terrorist according to British law. In return, the British Crown honoured C Sankaran Nair with the title of Knighthood, and hence he became Sir C Sankaran Nair.
Is the character of Kirpal Singh real?
Well, the makers have not revealed anything the reality behind the character of Kirpal Singh. As per the India Today report, it is true that C Sankaran Nair was knighted for his service for the British empire, but it wasn’t because he got the revolutionary poet Kirpal Singh arrested, as shown in the film. The British asked the Hunter Commission to examine the “disturbances” in India linked to the Jallianwala Bagh. However, not one but three Indians were a part of the committee. Moreover, C Sankaran Nair was not one of them.
During their investigation, the Hunter Commission inquired about the allegations against General Dyer, and on the basis of their findings, he was relieved of his duties. Since the British controlled the media and wiped out any writings that were against them, it may be possible that the mention of real-life Kirpal Singh has also been omitted from the history books. True Scoop cannot verify the story angle around Kirpal Singh.