Rajkumar Santoshi accuses Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar of sinking his Saragarhi film

Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi has accused producer Karan Johar and actor Akshay Kumar of deliberately rushing their film Kesari to market to sabotage his own project on the same subject, the 1897 Battle of Saragarhi. Santoshi said his film, starring Randeep Hooda, had already completed 20 days of shooting when Kesari was announced and later released.

Santoshi claimed that OTT and satellite platforms backed out of his project after Kesari came out, because they preferred to work with a bigger star and a bigger producer. “They knew that they would make a film quickly and release it, so our business would not work,” he said in an interview. His film remains stuck since the shoot was shut down.

Santoshi added that he wanted to make an honest, realistic film with authentic Sardar actors, and praised Hooda's dedication. He felt the Kesari team should have approached him before making a film on the same subject, calling the film industry “one family.”