New Delhi: Karan Johar’s foray into Punjab’s history isn’t paying off at the box office. The Bollywood producer backed two Punjab-based period films that released in April – Kesari 2 and Akaal – and both are yet to leave a mark on audiences. While Akshay Kumar’s Kesari 2 received a lukewarm response in comparison to Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda’s Jaat, Gippy Grewal-starrer Akaal earned just over Rs 6 crore in India in 10 days.
Kumar’s film, a sequel to Kesari (2019), follows a different story this time. It is centered around the real-life lawyer Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, who resigned from the British Viceroy’s Council after learning the truth about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Since its release on 18 April, the film, made on a budget of Rs 150 crore , has barely managed to earn Rs 30.14 crore. Jaat, made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, has already earned around Rs 75 crore.
During Kesari 2’s trailer release in Delhi, Karan Johar stressed on his film’s larger message: “This is not a story of bravery but of the country’s unity. It is not a homage, but asking for an apology from the British Empire.”
Dharma’s Punjabi language film Akaal is a period drama set in the 1840s, following the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Grewal, who has also written and directed the movie, plays protagonist Sardar Akaal Singh. The movie, released on 10 April and made on a budget of Rs 10 crore, has now reportedly saturated its box office run.
In March, Johar had shared his ambitions of venturing into Punjabi films with Akaal: “It gives me so much pride to have Dharma Productions associating with the legendary & accomplished Gippy Grewal to mark our first foray into Punjabi cinema. Akaal not only represents the culture & history of Punjab but I am positive it will resonate on a deeper level with the entirety of India and beyond. Which is why we are even prouder to present Akaal being the first Punjabi film to be released in Hindi in cinemas worldwide,” the producer-director wrote in an Instagram post.
Unlike Kesari 2 and Akaal, Jaat takes place in contemporary times. Deol plays Brigadier Baldev Pratap Singh, nicknamed Jaat in the film. He is pitted against Randeep Hooda, who plays the villain Ranatunga.
Deol’s period film Gadar 2 (2024) had made Rs 686 crore worldwide.
Kesari 2, just like many of Akshay Kumar’s recent films, is yet to show significant earnings despite positive reviews. It is yet to even come close to Kesari, which earned Rs 155.7 crore.
Akaal, on the other hand, is trailing behind Gippy Grewal’s last film Jatt Nuu Chudail Takri (2024), which made Rs 33 crore in India, and Rs 9.05 crore in 10 days.