Akshay Kumar stuns in Kathakali avatar for Kesari Chapter 2

Akshay Kumar is back in the spotlight, and this time, it’s with a striking Kathakali look that has sparked conversation and admiration online. Promoting his upcoming historical courtroom drama Kesari Chapter 2, the actor recently unveiled a new poster that has fans and cinephiles buzzing.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Akshay shared an image of himself in full Kathakali attire — not for a dance sequence, but to symbolically represent his character, C Sankaran Nair, a fearless lawyer who fought the British Empire in the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. "This is not a costume. It’s a symbol — of tradition, of resistance, of truth, of my nation,” Akshay captioned the photo.

In the film, set to release on April 18, Kumar portrays Nair in a gripping legal drama that explores a neglected piece of India’s colonial history. Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and based on the book The Case That Shook the Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat, the movie highlights Nair’s audacious courtroom battle against the British Crown.

The trailer, released last week, offered a glimpse into the intense legal face-off between Akshay and R Madhavan, who plays Crown lawyer Neville McKinley. Ananya Panday appears as a young law student navigating her own path in a British institution.

Social media erupted with praise for Akshay’s new avatar. Comments poured in calling him a “dedicated artist” and a “torchbearer of patriotic cinema.” One user wrote, “Goosebumps every time you pick such powerful stories,” while another declared, “Content Kumar is back.”

While Kesari Chapter 1 celebrated the Battle of Saragarhi, this sequel moves from the battlefield to the courtroom, where Sankaran Nair wields the law as his weapon. Akshay’s Kathakali look serves as a powerful metaphor, merging cultural identity with resistance and legal bravery.

With a release just around the corner, Kesari Chapter 2 promises not only a cinematic experience but also an awakening to forgotten stories of India’s freedom struggle — told with grit, grace, and grandeur.