On Day 3 of WAVES 2025, a session named ‘Old Ghost, New Generation: Portrayal of Colonial History in Indian Cinema and its Contemporary Relevance’ was held where the speaker was Karan Singh Tyagi, the director of the recently released acclaimed film, Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh. At this session, the director spoke about his initial days before becoming a filmmaker.
WAVES 2025: Kesari Chapter 2 director Karan Singh Tyagi CONFESSES, “I walked 2 kms in snow to watch My Name Is Khan; summoned my ENTIRE Harvard class to watch the movie”; wishes to make a film on Dr B R Ambedkar
Karan Singh Tyagi began by saying, “It is said that one can’t outrun one’s destiny. My destiny was sealed in 1985, even before I was born. My parents were big movie buffs. When my mother was pregnant, she went to watch a movie with my father. And the movie’s name was Meri Jung (1985). It was a courtroom drama directed by Subhash Ghai and starred Anil Kapoor. Just like Abhimanyu learnt about warfare from his mother’s womb, I probably learned the intricacies of both court and movies! My fate was sealed. As it turned out, I couldn’t outrun my destiny and my first film turned out to be a courtroom drama (smiles).”
He continued, “I was bitten by the bug of Bollywood at a very young age. Watching films was like a (religious activity). During my law school days, I used to watch every movie twice, once on Friday morning with my friends and then the same evening with my family on Saturday evening. Hence, it was the love of Bollywood movies.”
Karan Singh Tyagi added, “I grew up on the cinema of the 90s. I loved Rajkumar Santoshi’s fascinating films like Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993), Ghatak (1996), etc, which were about societal injustices and yet, they spoke to every section of the population in the country.”
After completing his graduation at Government Law College, Mumbai, Karan Singh Tyagi did his further studies at Harvard University, USA. Even there, he continued to watch films. He revealed, “My days were filled with looking at textbooks and attending classes during my law school days. At that time, my outlet was Indian cinema. I remember walking 2 kms in the snow to catch a show of My Name Is Khan (2010). I even summoned my entire class to watch that movie!”
My Name Is Khan, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, coincidentally was backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, which also produced Kesari Chapter 2.
When asked if he’d like to make more period films, Karan Singh Tyagi replied, “I am drawn to history. There are numerous instances in the past which I feel should be documented. Given a chance, I’d really love to make another historical drama.”
When asked to name any particular personality or episode that he’d like to adapt, Karan Singh Tyagi answered, “I absolutely love reading about the 1857 Revolt, which was our first war of Independence. I believe that it is a fascinating chapter of our history, which can be beautifully documented on screen. I am also very drawn to Dr B R Ambedkar, a Dalit boy who was denied entry to a classroom and he went on to sit at the front of the Constituent Assembly. I believe that’s an inspiring story.”
More Pages: Kesari Chapter 2 Box Office Collection , Kesari Chapter 2 Movie Review
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