The increasing footfalls for director Karan Singh Tyagi and producer Karan Johar’s Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story Of Jallianwala Bagh has brought joy not only to the two Karans, but also to the film trade.
Says trade guru and film analyst Taran Adarsh, “The power of good cinema speaks louder than words, and Kesari Chapter 2 is a shining example of this truth. The film has opened stronger than Akshay Kumar’s recent content-driven ventures, and its impressive Saturday growth clearly indicates that it has struck a chord with the audience. What’s particularly noteworthy is the smart release strategy: Kesari Chapter 2 is targeted specifically at multiplex audiences and was released primarily in multiplexes and premium single screens. This calculated approach has paid off. The film has been embraced wholeheartedly by its target audience. The recreation of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the gripping courtroom sequences, and the towering performances by Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan and Ananya Panday have all played a crucial role in the film’s success.”
Says producer and trade insider Girish Johar, “K2 has not only received critical acclaim, it has also got appreciate from its core target metro audiences. People and Akshay Sir’s fans are truly enjoying the film. The relevance and contemporary storytelling is also being appreciated by the audiences. The film had a good weekend and we really hope that it stays firmly in place during the weekdays.”
Adds trade expert Atul Mohan, “Word of mouth and positive reviews really did the job. The opening wasn’t great, but as the shows went on, occupancy kept swelling. People have started saying the old Akshay Kumar is back – the one we missed before Covid. Hats off to the marketing team too for cleverly planning those free pre-release previews in select cities. That definitely helped create buzz. Just like Chhaava stirred up anti-Mughal sentiment, Kesari 2 seems to be sparking an anti-British wave. Have we stumbled upon a new formula here?”
Concludes Bihar’s prominent film distributor Kishan Damani, “The strong opening of Kesari 2 even with a limited release within 900 screens is strongly due to the content. The movie shows the facts which many of us are unaware of. The word of mouth is strong and is converting into numbers with every passing show.”
Time for celebrations at Karan Johar’s Dharma and Akshay Kumar’s Cape Of Good Hope production houses.
