Kesari 2 Movie Ending Explained & Summary: Did Sankaran Nair Prove O'Dwyer’s Guilt?

What disappoints me more than a bad film is a film that pretends to deal with its subject matter seriously but ends up making a mockery of it. Kesari Chapter 2 is the story of a renowned legal practitioner who also served as the Advocate General of Madras, Chettur Sankaran Nair. But after watching the film, I don’t think it’s fair to say that it was really based on the legendary man. Stating that a film or series is based on real-life events these days helps to create hype, and I believe that was the sole reason why the makers made a film on this subject. The word “creative liberty” is quite misused these days. Just because you have given a disclaimer that the real events have been dramatized or fictionalized for the screen doesn’t mean that you have the license to do as you wish. I believe that when it was decided that the story of such an honorable man was to be brought to the screen, a little more research, a little more attention to detail, wouldn’t have hurt. When so much money was spent on creating sets and getting A-list actors on board, then why couldn’t the production hire a creative team that could do some research on the real-life man? The reason is that the production houses believe in making films using a tried and tested formula rather than creating something authentic for the audience. I think the narrative would have greatly benefited from more in-depth research on the man, and it would have added layers to the different characters who seemed way too superficial for my liking. But then who cares about the quality of content so long as a film manages to make the desired box office collection? 

Spoiler Alert

Did the viceroy commission find O’Dwyer guilty? 

A man named Kirpal Singh was sent behind bars after he was found guilty of inciting violence by the court of law. The prosecutor in the case was Sankaran Nair, who time and again had proved his loyalty to the crown. Kirpal Singh was a revolutionary, and he told the court that, unlike what Nair stated, he had neither taught his students to make explosives nor had he told them to kill a British officer. But the court obviously did not hear his arguments and sentenced him to prison. While leaving the court premises, Kirpal Singh told Nair that one day he would realize that he was fighting for the wrong side. Nair generally did not pay attention to such comments, as he knew how much he could benefit through his obedience to the crown. Kirpal Singh’s wife and little daughter were killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which happened days after the former was sent to prison. Somehow his son, Pargat Singh, managed to survive, and he decided to protest against the British regime and make the world know that the massacre was a pre-planned move by General O’Dwyer. Pargat met Nair during that time, as he thought that if an Indian who was a part of the viceroy council would hear him out, then he would actually be able to make a difference. But nothing of that sort happened, and the British officials made sure that they silenced Pargat forever so that he was not able to cause any more nuisance. Just days before Pargat’s murder, it was announced that Nair would be a part of the viceroy commission that was going to investigate the Jallianwala Bagh incident. Nair had found that the British government was trying to conceal the truth, and he had tried to raise the issue during the commission meeting. But Tirath Singh, the legal advisor to O’Dwyer, and other senior members made it very clear that he should not dare to go against the crown. So Nair decided to stay quiet, and the commissions gave a clean chit to General O’Dwyer, stating that the men who had been killed were terrorists. 

The British officials had made sure that each and every newspaper was ordered to publish that the people who had assembled at Jallianwala Bagh were terrorists and had the intention of causing widespread violence and chaos. The truth peeped through the cracks on the walls of Jallianwala Bagh, but the chains of oppression and tyranny had bound the truth so tightly that it just couldn’t come out. But just like a beam of sunlight can light up the entire room, you only need one courageous soul to expose the lie. 

Did Dilreet and Nair win the case against O’Dwyer? 

Dilreet Gill, a young lawyer, went to meet Sankaran Nair, as she happened to be a big fan of his work. Nair was just about to leave, and he boarded a train when he saw Dilreet for the very first time. She told him that if a small boy could fight against the British Raj so fearlessly, then why couldn’t he? Nair probably wouldn’t have agreed to go against the regime, but after he got to know that Pargat had been murdered by the British officials, something changed inside him. He told his wife that he might’ve had nothing to do with the Jallianwala Bagh incident, but the death of that one boy was on him. What triggered Nair even more was that no inquiry happened after Pargat’s death, and the British officials made sure it came to be known that the boy had taken his own life. Once Tirath Singh and O’Dwyer got to know that Nair had filed a case against the latter, they decided to hire another exceptional lawyer named Neville McKinley. Neville was not interested in taking the case, but Tirath went and told him that it was Nair who had plotted against him and tarnished his reputation, because of which he was removed from the viceroy council. It was rumored that Neville was the illegitimate son of an East India Company officer, and once the media got a whiff of it, he had to be removed from the council. Neville decided to take revenge on his old friend by ridiculing him in court and defeating him in front of everybody. 

Neville made false claims that Tanveer Chaudhary, a student leader of Danda Fauj, a group known for its violent tactics, had raped a music teacher who taught in the Sikh Missionary School. Neville stated that after Tanveer Chaudhry was taken into custody, the members of Danda Fauj decided to teach the British government a lesson. He said that the members of the Danda Fauj were the ones who were leading the crowd that had assembled in Jallianwala Bagh. Neville concluded his arguments by stating that the people who General O’Dwyer killed were not civilians but hardened criminals. After doing a bit of background research, Dilreet and Nair were able to figure out that Martha Stevens, the music teacher, and Tanveer were in love, and the latter was just being framed by the authorities. That’s when Tirath decided to take matters into his own hands, and he booked Nair on false charges and did not let him attend the court proceedings. In the end, the jury ruled in favor of General O’Dwyer and acquitted him of all charges. 

How did Sankaran Nair prove O’Dwyer’s guilt? 

Sankaran Nair and Dilreet found out that the jury members had been bribed, as three of them had initially given a verdict against O’Dwyer. The judge in the case also stayed quiet, as he was promised a position in London. Nair and Dilreet decided to file an appeal, but, strangely enough, the judge dismissed it, even when it was blatantly clear that the defendants had lied and tampered with the process. Nair ended up hurling abuses at the judge intentionally, since he wanted the judge to charge him with contempt of court. This was because Nair knew that was the only opportunity through which he could get another chance to tell the truth, a loophole in the legal system that Nair knew he could use to his advantage. During the disbarment meeting, if the lawyer could give solid evidence to prove that what he was saying was not wrong, then the court was bound to hear out what they wanted to say. Nair, during the proceedings, kept his point, and even when O’Dwyer tried his level best to not let him reveal the truth, he did end up telling everybody how the jury had been bought. Also, during the court hearings, evidence was presented to prove that O’Dwyer suffered from intermittent explosive disorder and had dealt with anger issues from an early age. Nair had also stated that O’Dwyer hated Indians because an Indian boy once bullied him at his school. As a result, O’Dwyer was removed from his position. 

So in Kesari 2’s ending, truth prevailed and justice was served. Dilreet was happy that she was able to win her first case and, moreover, do something for the cause of her own people. 

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