‘Kalki 2898 AD.’ Director Nag Ashwin reveals plans for Part 2

Nag Ashwin’s ambitious sci-fi film “Kalki 2898 AD” is making waves at the box office, earning over $84 million worldwide and debuting at No. 3 globally. With an estimated budget of $72 million, it is one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.

Set in a dystopian time, “Kalki 2898 AD” follows Bhairava (Prabhas), a formidable warrior with secret origins. As he explores a world ravaged by conflict and environmental destruction, Bhairav ​​becomes entangled in a historical prophecy. Amitabh Bachchan plays Ashwatthama, an immortal being from the Indian mythological epic “Mahabharata”, while Deepika Padukone plays Sumati, who is pregnant with the unborn Kalki, an incarnation of Vishnu. Kamal Haasan plays the role of the antagonist Splendid Yaskin. The film blends elements of Indian mythology with those of the future generation, culminating in epic battles that span both physical and spiritual geographies.

The idea for “Kalki 2898 AD” began after Ashwin’s previous film “Mahanati” (2018), a biopic of 1950s/60s Indian actress Savitri, though he says the mythological components and sci-fi elements of the film were mixed. Attraction towards the mixture was increasing. For years. “I always wanted to create something that combined the ‘Mahabharata’ battles of the old Telugu black-and-white films with the worlds of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘X-Men,'” explains Ashwin. selection,

“In those black-and-white films, they used to show these arrows changing hands in the battles of ‘Mahabharata’,” Ashwin recalls of old Telugu cinema. “One arrow will become fire, another will become water, one will become a snake and the other will become an eagle. I always liked it very much.”

Produced by C. Ashwini Dutt, Swapna Dutt and Priyanka Dutt for the 50-year-old Indian banner Vyjayanti Motion Pictures, bringing Ashwin’s grand vision to life proved innovative over time. “To be honest, all of us, when we started we didn’t really know what we were trying to achieve,” says Ashwin. “It was only when we got into it and the design. As we started to try to be very authentic and achieve these types of action sequences, we realized the scale and complexity of this world.”

The production utilized VFX houses across India and around the world, with the Kurukshetra battle layout – the centerpiece of “Mahabharata” – being particularly time-intensive. “We really started with the idea that we should try to do everything in India,” says Ashwin. “But in the end, we also had to use two or three foreign companies.”

The biggest challenge for Ashwin was to maintain his mindset during the four-year production period. “As a director and writer, it was to keep in mind the perspective and decision of the script that you wrote in 2020 when you were shooting something in 2023 or 2024,” he says. “You still need to keep the big picture in your mind that you started with.”

The highlight for the director was once filming the disagreement between Amitabh Bachchan and Prabhas. “Seeing the real action hero Mr Bachchan and this generation’s action hero Prabhas, both of them go crazy over it,” he says. “It was the most surreal thing for them to come up with these action sequences, and the fact that That’s probably the biggest takeaway from the film for most people, very satisfying.”

The film finds that Prabhas’ character Bhairava is the reincarnation of Karna from the “Mahabharata”, a warrior who faces helpless situations in the epic. Elaborating on this choice, Ashwin says, “Karna always felt incomplete to me. A warrior like him needed redemption, needed a final chapter.

He further added, “Both Ashwatthama and Karna, the whole ‘Mahabharata’ is not really about good and bad, it is just about people in situations where they have to choose.” “These people chose to be on the wrong side, so maybe fighting for the other side is salvation in this age.”

The date “Kalki 2898 AD” ends with a word of respect for a larger cinematic universe, with Ashwin making it clear that the immediate focus of attention is on Volume 2. “We shot about 25 or 30 days, but there was still a lot of action left. It’s almost like a brand new production is about to start,” he found.

Regarding the story of the sequel, Ashwin teases, “Every loose end or thread that we left hanging has to be wrapped up. Obviously, the most important thing will be the face-off between these three, which will be between Yaskin who can now wield Gandiva, which is considered to be the most powerful weapon, versus Karna and Ashwatthama, who are the most feared warriors. ,

Two additional episodes of High Video’s animated “B&B: Bujji & Bhairav”, set two years before the events of “Kalki 2898 AD”, are being completed as a four-episode miniseries.

As “Kalki 2898 AD” continues its success, Ashwin is excited about the reception from the target audience. “It was definitely going to be a big opener, because of the star cast and the way the trailer was received,” he says. “But there was a little bit of apprehension because it was a sci-fi film. The film always faces a question because it is not something we (Indians) are used to. And as per the habit of Prabhas fans, it is not even a regular commercial film.

He says, “We are extremely happy and grateful that people have accepted the film for what it is and have seen it so many times. This is really the measure of whether a film is successful or not.”

Regarding global expansion, Ashwin confirmed that talks are ongoing for a cut in East Japan in the second half of this year, while the sugar cut month is still not expected. “Japan has been a proven market for Prabhas’s previous films,” he says. “I think Japanese fans will absolutely love this kind of film.”