Kesari
Colonialism, Martyrdom and Nationalism
Keywords:
Kesari, war-drama, Battle of Saragarhi, 36th Sikh Regiment, martyrdom, Sikh identity, KhalsaAbstract
This film review attempts to analyse the 2019 commercial chartbuster, Kesari, an emotionally compelling war drama based on the events of the Battle of Saragarhi (1897). The movie was endorsed as an ode to Sikh martial values, painting a political conflict with predominantly religious overtones, while also being careful to make scattered mentions of syncretism. This review will examine how the movie can be seen as echoing the values of martyrdom and sacrifice for the nation within the larger contemporary milieu where there is a newfound emphasis in the value associated with nationalism.
References
Chakravorty Spivak, Gayatri. “Can The Subaltern Speak?” in Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture, edited by Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1988.
Cohn, Bernard. Colonialism and its Forms of Knowledge: The British in India. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1996.
Desai, Rahul. “A Film That Is To History What War Is To Peace.” Film Companion, March 21, 2019. https://www.filmcompanion.in/reviews/kesari-is-to-history-what-war-is-to-peace.
Duara, Ajit. “Kesari Movie Review.” Open, March 22, 2019. https://openthemagazine.com/cinema/kesari-movie-review/.
Falcon, Captain R.W. Handbook On Sikhs: For the Use of Regimental Officers. Allahabad: The Pioneer Press, 1896.
Fenech, Louis E. “Contested Nationalism: Negotiated Terrains: The Way Sikhs Remember Udham Singh ‘Shahid’ (1899-1940).” Modern Asian Studies 34, no. 4 (October 2002): 827-870.
Fenech, Louis E. “Martyrdom and the Sikh Tradition.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 117, no. 4 (October-December 1997): 623-642.
Gaur, Ishwar Dayal. Martyr as Bridegroom: A Folk Representation of Bhagat Singh. New Delhi: Anthem Press, 2008.
Lamba, Bikram. Battle of Saragarhi Provides Some Excellent Lessons, WordPress, 2022.
Ramnath, Nandini. “Kesari Movie Review: Akshay Kumar flexes his vocal cords in underwhelming ode to bravery.” Scroll, March 21, 2019, https://scroll.in/reel/917358/kesari-movie-review-akshay-kumar-flexes-his-vocal-cords-in-underwhelming-ode-to-bravery.
Sangu, Vishal. “Lost in Translation: How Colonialism Shaped Modern Sikh Identity.” Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions, 24, (2023): 124-139.
Singh, Anurag, dir. Kesari. Mumbai: Dharma Productions and Zee Studios, 2019. Digital streaming, 150 min.
Yong, Tan Tai. The Garrison State: The Military, Government and Society in Colonial Punjab, 1849-1947. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2005.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Stuti Suhani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
