Kalki 2898 AD

Kalki 2898 AD is a 2024 Telugu-language mythological science-fiction epic written and directed by Nag Ashwin and produced by Vyjayanthi Movies. Drawing on Hindu scriptures and set in a ruined future, it is the first instalment of a planned “Kalki Cinematic Universe”. Its ensemble cast is led by Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone, with Shobana and Disha Patani. With a reported production budget of ₹600 crore, it is described as the most expensive Indian film ever made.

Premise

The film opens in the mythological past. After the Kurukshetra War, the warrior Ashwatthama attempts to destroy an unborn heir of the Pandavas, and Krishna punishes him with a cursed, painful immortality: he must wander the Earth until he can redeem himself by protecting the mother of Kalki, the prophesied final avatar of Vishnu.

Six thousand years later, in 2898 AD, the Earth is a wasteland, and the city of Kashi is the last refuge of humanity. It is ruled by Supreme Yaskin, a god-king who lives in the Complex, a vast inverted pyramid that floats above the city and admits only the rich. Women from the outskirts are taken for Project K, a secret experiment meant to make Yaskin immortal. When one captive, SUM-80, carries her pregnancy further than any subject before her, she escapes with the help of rebels from Shambhala, a hidden sanctuary whose people believe in the Kalki prophecy.

Chasing her is Bhairava, a cynical bounty hunter who wants enough reward points to buy a life inside the Complex, with his sentient AI vehicle, Bujji, at his side. Protecting her is the ancient Ashwatthama. The collision of those two paths drives the rest of the film, and its final act ties Bhairava to the Mahabharata in a way that sets up the sequel.

Cast

• Amitabh Bachchan
• Kamal Haasan
• Prabhas
• Deepika Padukone
• Shobana
• Disha Patani

Making the film

After the success of his biopic Mahanati, Nag Ashwin said he had been developing an original story for a long time. Vyjayanthi Movies, the production house of C. Aswani Dutt that had also backed Mahanati, took it on. The film was announced in February 2020 under the working title Project K, and the final title was revealed in July 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the start of shooting to July 2021. Filming then took place in stretches over the next three years, largely at Ramoji Film City, and wrapped in late May 2024. Djordje Stojiljkovic was the cinematographer and Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao the editor.

Music

Santhosh Narayanan composed the music, and critics picked out the background score among the film’s strengths.

Release

The film was first set for 9 May 2024 but was delayed because post-production was not finished. It opened worldwide on 27 June 2024 in standard, IMAX and 3D formats.

Reception and box office

Reviews were positive, with praise for Nag Ashwin’s direction and screenplay, the background score, the visual effects, the concept, the scenes near the end, and Amitabh Bachchan’s performance. According to the source, it grossed an estimated ₹1,100 crore worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2024, the fourth highest-grossing Telugu film and the tenth highest-grossing Indian film of all time. For Prabhas, it was his second film to pass ₹1,000 crore after Baahubali 2.

Awards

• 72nd National Film Awards: two awards, including Best Production Design and Best Popular Feature Film
• Telangana Gaddar Film Awards: four awards, including Best Film
• South Indian International Movie Awards: four awards, including Best Film – Telugu

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.