Following much anticipation, Nag Ashwin’s dystopian sci-fi spectacle Kalki 2898 AD arrived in theatres on June 27. The film has garnered largely positive responses for its expansive world-building, which combines elements of Indian mythology with futuristic tropes, as well as the entertaining performances of Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan (as the evil dictator Supreme Yaskin). The film is set in the futuristic dystopian city of Kasi, and has an epic narrative timeframe of 6,000 years.
Here are some interesting facts about the film (spoilers ahead) -
Cool cameos
Kalki 2898 AD has a wealth of cameos to get a pan-Indian crowd whistling and hooting. Popular actors like Vijay Devarakonda, Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur make short but impactful appearances in the film. Additionally, renowned filmmakers SS Rajamouli and Ram Gopal Verma also have thrilling guest turns. Furthermore, veteran actor Shobana makes her comeback to Telugu cinema after 18 years in the film.
Keerthy Suresh delights as Bujji
Few sci-fi franchises are complete without a lovable AI robot assisting the hero on his epic journey. In Kalki 2898 AD, South star Keerthy Suresh voices Bujji, the AI-powered supercar of Bhairava played by Prabhas. “Bhairava and Bujji share an uncanny partnership but we get only a passing statement about the origin story of Bujji,” wrote our colleague Sangeetha Devi Dundoo in her review of the film.
A still from ‘Bujji and Bhairava’ animated prequel series
Renowned image-maker
Serbian cinematographer Djordje Stojiljkovic has crafted the ravishing visual landscape and stratified worlds of Kalki. Stojiljkovic grew up in Belgrade with a passion for both cinematography and visual effects. His past credits include the dystopian short Anima and the India-set sci-fi film Rani Rani Rani (directed by Rajaram Rajendran). Stojiljkovic shot Kalki 2898 AD with the Alexa 65 camera with Arri DNA lenses, making it suitable for an IMAX release with minimal upscaling.
World-leading effects
The extensive visual effects of Kalki 2898 AD have been supplied by two primary studios, Prime Focus DNEG and The Embassy Visual Effects. The film has a total of 700 vfx shots.
A still from ‘Kalki 2898 AD’
DNEG is a world-leading VFX house based in London. Their credits include Blade Runner 2049, Dune, Tenet, Interstellar, Oppenheimer and others. They have won the Academy Award six times for their vfx and animation work. In 2023, DNEG acquired Prime Focus Technologies.
The Embassy Visual Effects is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. They have contributed vfx shots to Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films like the Iron Man series.
Tamil talk
Lyricist Vivek has penned the dialogues for several key characters in the Tamil version of Kalki 2898 AD. A noted songwriter, Vivek has worked with leading music composers including A R Rahman, Santhosh Narayanan, Anirudh Ravichander and Yuvan Shankar Raja. In 2018, his ‘Simtaangaran’ took social media by storm.
Franchise incoming
The makers have teased the Kalki Cinematic Universe (KCU) and as early reviews confirm, the film is setting up for a sequel (To Be Continued…” are the final words of the movie). Prior to the release, the makers had dropped B&B: Bujji and Bhairava, an animated prequel series on Amazon Prime Video depicting the bond of Bujji and Bhairava.
