Akshay Kumar, Ananya Panday's Shankaran Nair biopic retitled to Kesari 2 by Karan Johar: Details inside

Among his already fat roster of projects, Akshay Kumar has in the works, a big scale biopic on the life and work of late lawyer and statesman Sir Chettur Shankaran Nair, set against the backdrop of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. The film, produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, also stars R Madhavan and Ananya Panday in pivotal roles. While the film is an independent venture theme-wise, Karan has decided to up the stakes and the potential audience reception by giving the project a complete rebrand. The biopic, referred to as Shankara so far, as per reports, is now set to be branded as Kesari 2. This is of course in reference to the production house's 2019 blockbuster Kesari, which also featured Akshay, albeit along side Parineeti Chopra. While content-wise Kesari and Kesari 2 will have no link, a connection has been established keeping in mind the very similar themes of both the projects.

This move, made from a business perspective, not only has the potential to boost how the film performs commercially, but will also help audiences identify with a great cinematic experience that comes with a strong, airtight film, as was the case with Kesari.

"Although this film has no direct connection to Kesari, both films share a common thread of bravery, inspiration, and patriotism as their core elements. Like Kesari, this new film also narrates a significant chapter of history, exploring themes of nationalism and heroism. While their narratives are completely distinct, the thematic similarities led the makers to rename the project Kesari 2 instead of the previously planned Shankara", shared a source close to the project, as per a Peeping Moon report.

Incidentally, Akshay has a few more strong franchise installments currently in the works for 2025. These include Jolly LLB 3 set for a release on April 10, Housefull 5 set for a release on June 6 and Welcome to the Jungle set for a release around Christmas.

Coming back to the project at hand, fast paced plots with a heavy hand of patriotic fervour have time and again proven to be Akshay's strong suit at the box office. Kesari 2 then, appears to fit the bill when it comes to the actor's unique formula.