Kesari Chapter 2, featuring Akshay Kumar, has sparked political and legal backlash after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the film of misrepresenting Bengal’s contribution to India’s independence movement. The controversy intensified after an FIR was registered at Bidhannagar South police station against seven producers of the film under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. TMC leaders allege that the film distorts key facts, including renaming Khudiram Bose as “Khudiram Singh” and depicting Barindra Ghosh as “Birendra Kumar” from Amritsar, instead of his true Bengali identity.

TMC spokespersons Kunal Ghosh and Arup Chakraborty condemned the film in a press briefing, calling it a “calculated attempt” to erase Bengal’s revolutionary history. They questioned how the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cleared a film with such factual inaccuracies. “This is more than just a mistake, it’s a cultural affront,” Ghosh said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also commented on the issue, alleging that there are growing efforts to diminish Bengal’s historical importance and revolutionary contributions. Though she didn’t name the film, her remarks aligned with the party’s overall stance.

Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and backed by Dharma Productions, the film is said to be based on The Case That Shook the Empire by Raghu and Pushpa Palat. Despite the outrage, the film has seen commercial success, earning ₹142 crore globally since its release on April 18. It is now streaming on JioHotstar. Critics have also noted that the film replaces historical figures like Hemchandra Kanungo with fictional characters, raising further concerns about creative liberties taken with sensitive historical narratives. TMC has demanded action from CBFC and accountability from the filmmakers for what it terms as “distortion of national history.”