Kalki 2898 AD

<p>In the aftermath of the , unleashes in a bid to murder the of , aiming to end the lineage of . As punishment, curses him with and eternal suffering, condemning him to wander the Earth until he redeems himself by protecting the mother of , the prophesied final of . 6000 years later, in 2898 AD, Earth became a , with the city of standing as the last bastion of humanity. It is ruled by Supreme Yaskin, a 200-year-old who lives in the Complex, a massive accessible only to the elite. Fertile women from the impoverished outskirts are forcibly recruited for Project K—an experiment aimed at harvesting a life-extending serum from artificial pregnancies. None survive the process beyond 150 days. SUM-80, a pregnant subject, is discovered and nearly subjected to the extraction procedure but escapes with the help of rebel agents. She is renamed Sumathi and taken to , a secret settlement that believes in the Kalki prophecy. On the journey, the rebels are ambushed by the Raiders, Yaskin’s army, and bounty hunters, including Bhairava, a mercenary who longs to live in the Complex, and his BU-JZ-1 aka Bujji. Kyra, one of the rebels, sacrifices herself. Ashwatthama—who has realised that Sumathi is pregnant with Kalki—intervenes and rescues her. The group reaches Shambhala, where nature responds to her presence. Ashwatthama encourages her to embrace her destiny and reveals to Raia, his adolescent companion, his ancient connection to through his bow, . Meanwhile, Bhairava, seeking reward, strikes a deal with Commander Manas, Yaskin’s enforcer, to capture Sumathi. Manipulating Luke, his Shambhalan admirer, Bhairava infiltrates Shambhala and attempts to abduct Sumathi under the disguise of Ashwatthama, but is confronted by the latter. As they clash, Manas and the Raiders launch an assault, killing Shambhalan leader Mariam and capturing Ashwatthama. During the chaos, Bhairava unknowingly picks up Vijaya Dhanussu and a sacred leaf, triggering a transformation that reveals him as the reincarnation of Karna. Empowered, he defeats the Raiders and kills Manas to protect Sumathi, but remains unaware of his past life. In a , Yaskin is injected with a sample of Sumathi’s fetal serum and shown the , ‘s bow. Transformed into a youthful superhuman, he vows to reshape the world. Adapted from the opening and closing credits: After the success of in 2019, stated that he had been working on an original story, for which he had spent a long time on. He also stated that the production would begin soon. The project would be funded by ‘s , which also funded . The company announced on 7 August 2019 that the production would begin in September and posted a for various artist positions. On 26 February 2020, coinciding the occasion of the 50th year since the establishment of Dutt’s house, was announced to be the lead actor. Tentatively titled (as it is intended to be the actor’s 21st film in the lead role), the production would begin after the actor completes filming for (2022). The film was made on a production budget of ₹600 crore that included star remuneration of ₹80 crore to Prabhas, and ₹20 crore each to Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Deepika Padukone. The lead actor, however, reportedly decided to take the model, receiving ₹80 crore as advance, and a chunk of the profits would be given to him as remuneration. In February 2021, it was reported that the filming would begin in March; however, Ashwin during the promotions for his short film in (2021) stated that due to the and Prabhas’ prior commitments, the filming would commence at the latter half of the year. The film’s official title, , was announced on 21 July 2023. It is a reference to , an of Hindu deity in the , according to the , and 3102 BC – traditionally thought to be the beginning of after the , from the death of Krishna (the film being set 6,000 years into the Kali Yuga, the era of the /demon ). Ashwin co-wrote the film’s script along with Rutham Samar, and B. S. Sarawagna Kumar, in his second consecutive film with Samar and Burra after . A pooja ceremony was held on 24 July 2021 at in with the presence of the film’s cast and crew. The working title was revealed to have been changed to the same day. Ashwin stated that the film needed high-end technology and futuristic vehicles to be developed for the film. Although they can be recreated using (CGI), the director opted to build these vehicles from scratch. In March 2022, Ashwin requested businessman to provide technical support to build such type of vehicle. A few days later, Mahindra responded that their company would assist the production team from their campus in . In July 2021, the makers erected a futuristic set at in where a significant portion of filming is expected to take place. had been initially approached, in August 2020, to compose music for the film but the talks fell out. Ashwin retained most of his technicians, including composer , editor , production designer Nithin Zihani Choudhary, cinematographer , costume designers Thota Vijay Bhaskar, Shaleena Nathani and Sahithi Patha. However, Serbian cinematographer, , replaced as the official cinematographer of the film. In February 2023, replaced Meyer as the composer. Andreas Nguyen was chosen as the stunt choreographer of the film. joined as a mentor, contributing elements of his planned script on Lord Krishna and providing creative inputs to the project. Prabhas would sport long hair and beard, with reporters reminiscing his look in the film with . was cast as the female lead, in her Telugu film debut despite having starred in the unreleased . was confirmed to play an important role, in his Telugu film debut as he had previously only made cameo appearances in (2014) and (2019). Ashwin stated that his role was “so important that his character’s name [Ashwatthama] was the working title of an early draft”. also joined the film in an important role, while was also cast in an important role. The film marks their return to Telugu cinema after (1995) and (2015), respectively. , , , , and were cast in important roles. made her Telugu debut with this film. and appeared in voice roles respectively; former as Bujji and latter as Lord . Initially, Keerthy Suresh was offered another undisclosed role, but she rejected it and later accepted the voice-role. Harshith Malgireddy, Kavya Ramachandran, Ayaz Pasha, Anil George, Keya Nair, Vinay Kumar, Venkata Ramana, Hamish Boyd and Sanghawa Shin were present during the film’s preliminary shooting schedule. , , , , and briefly had respective cameo appearances. began with the first schedule on 24 July 2021, on the occasion of , at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad featuring Bachchan. Prabhas and Padukone joined the production in December 2021 and scenes featuring both the actors and Bachchan were shot. The second schedule of the shoot took place in February 2022. Instead of shooting the entire film in a single stretch, the team divided its 80–90 days of shoot into 7–8 days every month. This actually allowed the production team to take time and prepare the gadgets and props to be used in the film. Therefore, the production of the film was expected to take longer than usual. DIY camera was used to shoot the film, thus making it the first Indian film to use this technology. Prabhas was expected to start filming his solo portions in April 2022, however, his knee surgery led to a delay of his upcoming projects including and . 90% of the shoot was done in sets built in Ramoji Film City. In June, Bachchan shot for a scene at . In July, Padukone and Prabhas shot for a car chase sequence in Hyderabad. Prabhas completed shooting the majority of his portions by the end of this schedule. However, the film was still being shot in March 2023 when Bachchan injured his ribs and was advised to take rest in Mumbai. Around 70% of the filming was completed by June 2023. On 20 July 2023 at , revealed that while the film was mostly shot in Telugu, they were also reshooting some scenes in to make them more impactful. However, the Hindi version is reportedly mostly dubbed. A romantic track featuring and was filmed in Italy in March 2024 including at the . The film features by the studios and . These studios also collaborated with StealthWorks Taiwan, Folks VFX, , Pixstone Images and Labyrinth. DNEG and The Embassy created the film’s environments and action sequences. The Embassy handled approximately 700 shots for the film and DNEG handled the principal visual effects and shots for the film. Their tasks included creating a desert wasteland, for high-speed chases, utilising a broad range of VFX techniques, and creating 3 distinct worlds of: , , and the Complex. The film takes inspiration from as is the tenth and final incarnation of , who is a messiah during the . Bhairava is an apparent reference to , an avatar of the Hindu deity . A place that appears in the film, (near modern-day ), is prophesied to be the birthplace of Kalki in scriptures. This concept was later borrowed into the tradition of where it is described a mystical kingdom somewhere beyond the and also as a state of mind. Furthermore, director has openly stated that had a huge influence on him growing up, and that it “is subconsciously a part of my aesthetic” in the making of the film. The character Luke was influenced by . The director also claimed that (2014) served as an inspiration as well. showed Ashwin centenarian Tibetan monks and for inspiration of the look of Yaskin. The music of the film was composed by . The audio rights of the film were acquired by . The first single titled “Bhairava Anthem” was released on 16 June 2024. Three more singles— “Theme of Kalki”, “Ta Takkara (Complex Song)” and “Hope of Shambala”—followed on 25 June 2024, 29 June 2024, and 4 July 2024 respectively. The entire was released on 10 July 2024. The film’s first look was released on 19 July 2023. became the first to be presented at ‘s Hall-H on 20 July 2023. At the event, the makers unveiled the official title and a glimpse of the film, following the release of a depicting an important scene between “The Raiders” (followers of Kali) and Bhairava. On the occasion of , the makers released a poster revealing ‘s character as . A new teaser introducing the character was unveiled on 21 April 2024. Inspired by the immortal character from the ancient Indian epic , Ashwatthama was portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan. On 27 April, the makers announced the new release date with a poster featuring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone. On 30 April 2024, Prabhas took fans of cinema and cricket by surprise as he appeared as Bhairava for an promotional video during vs . On 2 May 2024, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in his character of Ashwatthama where he delivered a motivational speech to the as they prepare for the 2024. On 22 May 2024, in an event in in , a teaser introducing Prabhas’ Robot sidekick vehicle “Bujji” was released. wrote, “we are so proud of Nag Ashwin and his tribe of filmmakers who aren’t afraid to think big,” while he shared that the engineers at helped the team realise its vision for the futuristic vehicle. On 27 May 2024, the makers and announced a two-part animated prelude, titled , which was released on the platform on 31 May 2024 as part of the Kalki Cinematic Universe. The official trailer of the film was released on 10 June 2024. Sung Choi and Oliver Beck, alleged that the initial frames of the trailer used their artwork without permission or credits, the latter’s from the artwork for . On 19 June 2024, a pre-release event was held in Mumbai, with Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, Rana Daggubati, and the film’s producers attending the event. The release-trailer of the film was released on 21 June 2024. The theme song of the film, “Theme of Kalki”, was unveiled on the evening of 23 June 2024 in ‘s birthplace, , , along the banks of the river. Additionally, an interview conversation featuring Prabhas, Bachchan, Haasan, and Padukone, along with the producers, was also released on . was released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and English. The film was initially planned to be released in 2022, but was delayed to 9 May 2024 due to the and unfinished production works. It was, however, postponed again from 9 May to 27 June, owing to the . Pre-bookings started in the United States on 6 June 2024, three weeks before the film’s release. Nearly 4,200 tickets were sold on the first day of pre-bookings with a collection of . Pre-bookings started in the UK, Canada and in Germany on 11 June 2024, two weeks before the film’s release. After the trailer was released, the advance booking for the film in the US crossed over US$760K. 20,000 tickets were sold for the film’s premiere in the UK. Pre-bookings in the US crossed US$1 million in fewer days than ‘s (2022), thus becoming the fastest Indian film to achieve this feat. The film was invited to ‘Open Cinema’ at the and was screened at the outdoor theatre in October 2024. It was featured at the in the Indian Panorama Mainstream section. along with distributed the film across and . Global Cinemas acquired the Nizam area distribution rights while ‘s Wayfarer Films acquired the distribution rights in for ₹6 crores. acquired the distribution rights in for ₹30 crores, while the distribution rights for were acquired by Anil Thadani of for ₹100 crores. The distribution rights were acquired by Sri Lakshmi Movies. Prathyangira Cinemas along with AA Creations acquired the distribution rights across North America. According to Indian trade sources, the pre-release business of included the sale of satellite, digital, music, and theatrical rights, with ₹390 crore earned from theatrical rights. The film’s overseas distribution rights were acquired by The Village Groupe for ₹80 crore. The post-theatrical digital streaming rights were acquired by for , while acquired the rights for . It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 22 August 2024 in Telugu along with the , and dubbed versions, while the dubbed version was released simultaneously on Netflix. The satellite rights were acquired by . grossed ₹180 crore worldwide on its opening day, which was the third , with over ₹95 crore gross from India. The film recorded the biggest opening for an Indian film in 2024. The film almost crossed ₹250 crore in two days, earning ₹149.3 crore from India. debuted in third place at the worldwide box office, behind and in their opening weekends. It grossed an estimated ₹484 crore worldwide from its opening weekend of four days, and ₹800 crore in 11 days of release. It became the fourth highest-grossing Indian film of all time in India, surpassing ‘s (2023) in 40 days. During its theatrical run of over 50 days, the film has grossed ₹1,180 crore worldwide against a production budget of ₹600 crore. While mentioned mixed reviews and wrote the film “failed to impress”, commented that the reviews were positive. On the website , 77% of 39 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website’s consensus reads: “A colourful spectacle that competes with Hollywood blockbusters while retaining its own distinctive flavor, Kalki 2898 AD marks a rousing breakthrough in Tollywood sci-fi cinema.” , which uses a , assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating “generally favorable” reviews. A critic for rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote, “On the whole, stands as a grandiose spectacle that depicts the future like never before in Indian cinema and also merges mythology seamlessly, thereby delivering a unique experience to the audiences.” Chirag Sehgal of gave 4/5 stars and wrote, “It combines action with visual spectacle and mythology with technology and science – which makes the film worth watching.” Goutam S of gave 4/5 stars and wrote, “If you are a lover of films which has a grand scale, [ ] epic narration, amazing visuals, groundbreaking performances, and unbelievable storytelling, then surely watch this feast of a movie in the screens near you.” gave a rating of 4 out of 5, describing it as a “maximalist sci-fi epic that mixes with .” Janani K of gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, “Like , ends on a cliffhanger and paves the way for a new cinematic world altogether. The surprise cameos, even though leaked by Prabhas himself, were perfect theatrical moments.” in its review said, ” is a unique sci-fi epic that successfully combines supernatural elements with cutting-edge technology”, while appreciating performances of the lead cast particularly Prabhas and Bachchan, and the screenplay by Nag Ashwin. of rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, “Prabhas may be the face of s heroics but the real bang for your buck is delivered in Amitabh Bachchan’s indefatigable energy providing Kalki’s biggest wolf-whistle moments.” Ronek Kotecha of gave 3/5 stars and wrote, “The film’s visual quality is so high that it overshadows many of its obvious flaws by engaging the audience into the atmospherics of the make-believe world of Kasi and the Complex.” Sashidar Adivi of gave 3/5 stars and wrote, “Overall, the film is a VFX wonder. The setup and the universe are brilliant, however, the writing needs introspection.” Avad Mohammed of gave 3/5 stars and wrote, “On the whole, is a technically brilliant film with never-before-seen visuals in an Indian film. The presence of A-listers and amazing action episodes make for a big-screen watch. Just ignore the slow pace.” Bunbury of wrote, “It is terrific, cathartic fun – and, given that Vishnu’s next avatar has apparently yet to be born, what is described in the marketing blurbs as the Kalki Cinematic Universe can be expected to rage, burn and rip-roar for a good few editions yet, leaving audiences happily flattened with exhaustion” and praised Nag Ashwin’s work. B. V. S. Prakash of gave 3/5 stars and wrote, “Director Nag Ashwin had a reason to cast big guns like Amitabh and Kamal to carry unthinkable roles and it paid off.” of gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, “It falls back on the sheer sweep of mounting and execution to make up for what lacks in terms of the writing.” Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of wrote, “Despite these shortcomings, is a brave new attempt that deserves big cheers.” Neeshita Nyayapathi of wrote, “Nag Ashwin’s dystopian film might not be flawless, but it’s gutsy and intriguing enough to be watched on-screen.” In late May 2024, it was reported that the film would have a sequel. On 26 June 2024, a day prior to the film’s release, Ashwin commented on and stated that it would begin in three years. During mid-credits of the film, it was revealed to be part of a media franchise named Kalki Cinematic Universe which had earlier been teased in , a prequel series released prior to the film. On 29 June 2024, producer C. Aswani Dutt announced that 60% of the filming for has been completed, with several major segments still remaining to be shot. Filming is scheduled to start before 2026.</p>