New Delhi: Actor Suniel Shetty, who starred in the 2025 film Kesari Veer based on the repeated destruction of Gujarat’s Somnath Temple, recently shared his views on films being made on historical figures such as Akbar and Babur. He also opened up about the film’s box office failure.
Speaking in an interview with Lehren Retro, Shetty expressed concern over the lack of films on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Rajput kings, and the Vedas. He explained that despite extensive research on the history of the Somnath Temple, Kesari Veer failed to perform commercially due to poor distribution.
“We did a lot of research before making the film, but unfortunately, the distribution was not done properly. Distribution is a big game. We didn’t get theatres. The producer lost a lot of money because he was distributing it himself with people, and that didn’t work. A good film went down the drain,” Shetty said.
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He further added, “Why do we talk about Aurangzeb, Akbar, Babur and Birbal? Our history should be about our culture. It should be about the Vedas, the Rajputs and Shivaji Maharaj. Every hero of every state should be spoken about. I feel strongly and emotionally about the Somnath Temple, how many times it was plundered, yet it is still standing.”
Earlier, actor Akshay Kumar had expressed similar sentiments while promoting Prithviraj Chauhan. He had pointed out gaps in how Indian history is taught in textbooks, saying, “Unfortunately, our history textbooks only have two or three lines about Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, while a lot has been mentioned about the invaders. There is hardly anything about our culture and our Maharajas. I was taken aback by how much there is about Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan that we don’t know.”
About Kesari Veer
Helmed by Prince Dhiman, Kesari Veer focuses on the unsung warriors who defended the Somnath Temple during the 14th century AD. Actor Sooraj Pancholi plays the role of Rajput warrior Hamirji Gohil, who bravely fought against the Tughlaq Empire to protect the temple from destruction.
Suniel Shetty portrayed the character of warrior Vegda Ji, while Vivek Oberoi played the antagonist Zafar Khan.
Kesari Veer was released on May 16, 2025.
On the work front
Suniel Shetty recently appeared in a cameo appearance in Border 2, which stars his son Ahan Shetty alongside Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh and Varun Dhawan in lead roles. He also has Welcome to the Jungle and Hera Pheri 3 in his lineup.
