Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
This is an archive article published on April 11, 2025
Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar clap back at General Dyer’s granddaughter calling Jallianwala Bagh massacre victim ‘looter’: ‘How dare she?’
At the Kesari 2 press conference, Karan Johar expressed his anger over General Dyer's granddaughter calling the Jallianwala Bagh genocide victims 'looters'.
Akshay Kumar and Karan Johar strongly criticised the comments of General Reginald Dyer.
Kesari 2 actor Akshay Kumar and producer Karan Johar strongly criticised the comments of General Reginald Dyer who recently called the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as ‘looters’. Akshay plays C Sankaran Nair in the film who sued the British Empire for carrying out the genocide in Amritsar in which at least 1,650 people were killed.
Talking about the film and the Jallianwala Bagh incident, Karan Johar said, “I have heard stories of true valor and bravery of unsung heroes various times. These stories have been embedded in the archives of history and not portrayed on celluloid. This took me back to a few stories that came on my table like Raazi, that film went on to prove that true stories resonate gorgeously, it could strike a chord with the audience. There was also The Ghazi Attack, and Kesari.
“This one is an absolutely outstanding story of C Shankaran Nair, based on the book, The Case That Shook The Empire. We knew the massacre, but none of us knew the truth. Every time we have watched the tragedy, we have felt the pain, the anger. What makes us all angry is that there isn’t an apology even now. Neither the crown, nor the monarchy or the British Government apologized. We came out of the British Raaj valiantly as a country, but as a nation we deserve an apology and this film demands just that,” he said.
Earlier, in an interview General Dyer’ granddaughter spoke to a family member of the victim where she said, “General Dyer is an honorable man, greatly liked by the Indians, who spoke three or four Indian languages which very few people did.”
Responding to the victim’s family, she asked, “Was he a looter? I think history is history and you’ve got to accept that.”
Reacting to this, Karan Johar said, “I have seen that video, and not just as an Indian or humanitarian, but as anyone who has an iota of empathy, it will anger you. How ridiculous was she to say that, and how dare she? She was calling those thousands of people looters, they were innocent people who collected on the auspicious day of Baisakhi, thinking something else was going to be the eventuality of the day. By his own admission, General Dyer said that he only stopped shooting when the bullets ran out.”
“She went on in an interview to say that he loved India, and all kinds of things that he had the greatest compassion. What love can you have, when your actions only spoke of hate. She is living in a lala land of her own and in some delusion. I don’t know her, haven’t met her, and don’t wish to. The fact that she even said those things boiled my blood, she had such disdain for the biggest genocide in the history of our nation, that it made me demand an apology even more,” Karan added.
Story continues below this ad
Akshay Kumar also shared his views and said, “One nation’s trauma is another nation’s lesson. That is what she never understood and kept saying History is history. I appreciate what Karan said and the way he said it.”
Kesari 2 releases in theaters on 18th April.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement
Live Blog
Advertisement