Ananya Panday , Akshay Kumar , and R Madhavan starrer ' Kesari: Chapter 2 ' received decent reviews from fans and critics following its release on April 18. Director Karan Singh Tyagi has now spoken about the casting for the movie and credited Akshay and Ananya for their performances.
In a conversation with The Indian Express, Tyagi reflected on the dedication of his lead actors—Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, and Ananya Panday—and how each brought depth to their roles in the historical narrative.
Madhavan and Akshay in 'Kesari 2'

He described both Akshay and Madhavan as “powerhouses of talent”. Akshay quickly grasped the film’s dual purpose and committed himself fully to the project. According to Karan, the Bhool Bhulaiyaa actor supported the idea of paying tribute to the Jallianwala Bagh martyrs and highlighting the lesser-known story of Sankaran Nair.

Madhavan’s portrayal of the antagonist Neville McKinley also earned high praise from the director. “As far as R. Madhavan is concerned, he is a stalwart. And we are so lucky that he played a part in our film,” he said. He described the Alai Payuthey actor as a perfect villain.
Ananya's preparation
The conversation also shed light on Ananya Panday’s performance as Dilreet Gill , a young lawyer in the film. Tyagi acknowledged her extensive preparation for the role. “We looked at a lot of pictorial references of women lawyers from that time—Cornelia Sorabji being one of them. We modelled her look on Amrita Sher-Gil. And Ananya even went to the extent of shadowing a female lawyer at the Bombay High Court to understand courtroom mannerisms. She took dialect classes to perfect the Punjabi diction, and what you see on screen is the result of her hard work,” he added.

'Kesari 2' continues its successful theatrical run.