LAW MATCH

LAWYER-TURNED-FILMMAKER KARAN SINGH TYAGI'S NATIONALISTIC FILM KESARI CHAPTER 2 FOUND FAVOUR WITH THE AUDIENCE. HE SHARES THE TALE OF ITS GENESIS WITH SRIJITA SEN

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Director Karan Singh Tyagi's debut, Kesari Chapter 2, is the kind of launch most aspiring directors dream of. A Harvard-educated lawyer with a promising legal career, Tyagi turns the spotlight on C Sankaran Nair, the Indian lawyer who took on the British Raj after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. When we meet at Dharma's office, he's clearly pleased with the film's reception and speaks openly about his journey from law to cinema, the depth of research involved, and the delicate balance between patriotism and jingoism. Excerpts:

I STUDIED law at Government Law College, Mumbai and completed my Master's at Harvard, working with firms in Paris and New York. But cinema was always my true calling.

IT WASN'T A HOBBY but a parallel life.

MY WIFE, also a lawyer, has been my biggest supporter. My parents were equally encouraging.

IT WAS MY father who first introduced me to Indian cinema.

THE LOVE for Kesari Chapter 2 has been overwhelming. The audiences clapped and even shouted slogans in theatres.

A STRANGER messaged me saying the film moved his sardar father to tears, which really stayed with me.

RAKESH ROSHAN called to appreciate the film. I feel fortunate to have had the backing of Dharma Productions and Leo Media Collective, who believed in my vision and helped bring this important chapter of Indian history to life.