Kalki 2898 AD at SDCC: Kamal Haasan says he ‘hated’ Sholay when he first saw it, Amitabh Bachchan listens in on video call

The first teaser of Kalki 2898 AD was launched at San Diego Comic Con. The panel was attended by Nag Ashwin, Prabhas, Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | July 21, 2023 09:41 AM IST

4 min read

Kamal Haasan was present at SDCC, as Amitabh Bachchan joined in via video call.

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The official title of Prabhas’ upcoming was revealed as Kalki 2898 AD at the San Diego Comic Con earlier today. During the panel discussion, which was attended by Prabhas and Kamal Haasan, director Nag Ashwin, and Amitabh Bachchan via a video call, the team of the film shared details about the upcoming ‘ mytho-sci-fi epic’, and also unveiled the first teaser. Rana Daggubati was also a part of the panel.

Kamal Haasan spoke about ‘what makes Indian cinema great’ and said that it’s the “energy our audience brings to our cinema.” He added, “We make the stories, they make the stars.” Speaking about the film, he said, “It’s still an Indian film at heart, it’s Indian mythology, our culture, from being a South Indian, from being Telugu, from being Indian, from being a fan of Star Wars, all of that love comes into this one thing. It’s a new kind of thing.” Kamal praised Amitabh Bachchan at the event, and as he spoke, Bachchan interrupted him, and said, “Stop being so modest, Kamal, you are much much greater than all of us,” which left everyone laughing.

Kamal then recollected an incident about watching Bachchan’s iconic film Sholay. The actor-director said that he was an assistant director at the time, and “hated” the film, as being a technician himself, he was so impressed with it. “For those who remember Sholay with nostalgia, I was an assistant director and I couldn’t sleep that night when I saw Sholay. First, I hated the film so much, I hated the filmmaker even more. And I had the opportunity of working with that great filmmaker and I told him that that was my reaction when I saw the film. As a technician, I couldn’t sleep that night and that’s the kind of movie… many such movies Amit ji has done, and to hear him say nice things about my film is something I didn’t imagine when I was an assistant director and watching Sholay on the big screen,” he said.

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Nag Ashwin gave some details about Kalki 2898 AD, and spoke about the ‘mythological superheroes’ he is keen to introduce to the world. When asked if there are any superpowers that Kalki 2898 AD’s characters possess, the director said, “Of our guys, no.” He added, “I think I’m very excited. Because for us to be here, I think we are on the shoulders of all of this mythology, and 100 years of cinema, and finally, we are able to get Indian mythology here. Because here, you guys have superheroes, you love your superheroes so much. If you have Superman, who can fly into space, we have Hanuman, who can eat the sun. And then, if you have a Thor or a Hulk who can break a building, then we have Hanuman who can lift a mountain. I am very interested for the world to meet India.”

The audience saw a glimpse of Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan in the teaser but Kamal was nowhere to be seen. When asked about that, Nag said, “He is there throughout the teaser but you don’t know.”

Kalki 2898 AD will release next year.

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