Akshay Kumar's Kesari 2 full movie leaked online on release day; struggles to touch Rs 10 crore at box-office

Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, and Ananya Panday starrer historical courtroom drama Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh, released in cinemas on April 18. The film has been receiving rave reviews from both critics and audiences. The buzz, hype, and strong word-of-mouth publicity have worked in the film's favour.

However, despite the positive reception, the movie opened to rather low numbers at the box office, failing to even cross Rs 20 crore on Day 1, especially surprising for a major solo release.

Kesari Chapter 2 full movie leaked online: Akshay Kumar film leaked hours after release

One of the main reasons for the underwhelming box office performance is the fact that Kesari 2 was leaked online just hours after its release.

According to media reports, pirated versions of Kesari 2 have surfaced on various websites, including Tamilrockers, Filmyzilla, Telegram, Movierulz, and others, available in resolutions ranging from 1080p to as low as 240p.

Reportedly, searching for keywords like "Kesari 2 Movie HD" or "Kesari 2 Movie Download" on these platforms leads to pirated copies. In response, netizens took to social media, urging fans not to download the pirated version and instead support the film by watching it in theatres.

Needless to say, the leak has affected the film's first-day collections, especially given the high ticket prices, above Rs 500 in major metropolitan cities like Mumbai. As of now, neither the cast nor the producers, Dharma Productions, have responded to the setback.

Just a day before the release, on Thursday, Akshay Kumar made an emotional appeal to his fans, emphasising the importance of being fully present while watching Kesari 2. He said, "I humbly request you all to please keep your phones in your pockets and listen to every dialogue of this film. It will mean a lot. If you check your Instagram during the movie, it will be a humiliation for the film. So I request everyone to keep their phones away." He also advised audiences not to miss the first 10 minutes of the film and to arrive at the theatres on time.

Not just Kesari 2, the film is the latest addition to a growing list of recent releases that have fallen prey to piracy. Other victims include Salman Khan's Sikandar, Mohanlal's Empuraan, Ajith's Vidaamuyarchi, and Ram Charan's Game Changer.

Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, Kesari 2 serves as a spiritual sequel to the 2019 film Kesari. The second instalment is based on the book The Case That Shook the Empire, which centres around C. Sankaran Nair and the 1919 J