Kesari (2019 film)
| Kesari | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Anurag Singh |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Battle of Saragarhi (fought at: 33°33′15″N 70°53′15″E / 33.55417°N 70.88750°E) |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Akshay Kumar Parineeti Chopra |
| Cinematography | Anshul Chobey |
| Edited by | Manish More |
| Music by | Songs: Tanishk Bagchi Arko Pravo Mukherjee Chirantan Bhatt Jasbir Jassi Gurmoh Jasleen Royal Score: Raju Singh |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Zee Studios |
Release date |
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Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | ₹207.09 crore |
Kesari (transl. Saffron) is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language historical war film starring Akshay Kumar and directed by Anurag Singh. It follows the events leading to the Battle of Saragarhi, a battle between 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikhs Regiment of the British Indian Army and 10,000 - 12,000 Afridi and Orakzai Pashtun tribesmen in 1897.
Originally conceived as a joint production between Salman Khan and Karan Johar, Kesari was officially announced in October 2017 with Akshay Kumar cast as Havildar Ishar Singh, the real-life hero of the Battle of Saragarhi. While Khan later exited the project, Kumar and Johar remained attached in their respective roles. Parineeti Chopra was eventually cast as the wife of Kumar’s character. Principal photography for the film began in January 2018 and concluded in December. The soundtrack was composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Chirantan Bhatt, Jasbir Jassi, Gurmoh and Jasleen Royal with lyrics written by Kumaar, Manoj Muntashir, Kunwar Juneja and Bagchi. Produced on a budget of ₹80 crore (equivalent to ₹99 crore or US$12 million in 2023), the film was distributed internationally by Zee Studios.
Kesari was released in India during the Holi festival, on 21 March 2019. The film was a blockbuster at box office, grossing over ₹207 crore worldwide.