Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD is one of the most anticipated films due to its high-profile cast and the scale of its production. The sci-fi stars Prabhas, Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Disha Patani, make it notable for its star-studded ensemble. The film was previously titled Project K but was later changed to Kalki 2898 AD. Given the film's science fiction genre, expectations are that the film will explore futuristic themes, possibly blending elements of advanced technology, human evolution, or alternative realities.
Extreme past and extreme future #Kalki2898AD ?????#Prabhas #Kalki2898ADonMay9 pic.twitter.com/jadE0e2ZfF
— Kalki 2898AD FC (@Kalki2898AD_FC) February 26, 2024
Kalki 2898 AD & Its Mahabharata Connect
Let's break down the title to understand it further! Kalki is the tenth and final avatar of the lord Vishnu, prophesied to end the current Kali Yuga (the age of darkness and destruction) and restore dharma (cosmic order and righteousness) in a new era. The year 2898 AD in the title hints at a narrative set far in the future, possibly incorporating themes of prophecy, rebirth, and cosmic justice, aligning with the traditional attributes of Kalki.
Interestingly, at the Synapse 2024 event in Gurgaon, Nag Ashwin revealed the Mahabharata connection to the film. He revealed that the film starts with the Mahabharata and ends in 2898 AD, spanning 6000 years. The creators aimed to imagine and craft different worlds throughout this extensive timeline, focusing on maintaining an Indian identity. The detailed timeline reveals that the narrative stretches back to 3102 BC, the era believed to mark the departure of Krishna, considered the last avatar.
He also added that this film involved constructing numerous sets, designs, and vehicles, which required a significant amount of ideation, conceptualization, prototyping, and ageing processes. The director has developed high-end technology and futuristic vehicles with the help of Mahindra Research Valley for the film. On speaking about the new AI tool Sora, he said that using OpenAI could have been replaced by this extensive effort by a simple prompt, eliminating the need for VFX. The creator also reflected on whether the challenges faced in this process might lead to unexpected creativity. He pondered if making things too easy with a prompt could cause creators to miss out on discovering something new, considering the months spent perfecting these elements could spark unique outcomes.
The director has earlier already revealed that Deepika's character will be the surprise element in the film and she will play a role that no female lead has played before on the big screen. Meanwhile, there are also reports that Amitabh Bachchan's character in the film will be similar to Ashwatthama from Mahabharata while Prabhas will play a superhero. Made with a budget of 500 Cr, Kalki 2898 AD is Vyjayanthi Movies' landmark 50th film. Shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu to cater for the pan-India audience, the film is all set to hit the screens on May 9.
