Kalki 2898 AD director Nag Ashwin discusses film’s connection with Mahabharata: ‘It spans 6,000 years of distance and time’

Director Nag Ashwin recently made some interesting revelations about his Prabhas-starrer Kalki 2898 AD, promising that the epic science-fiction film will be an extraordinary visual spectacle.

By: Entertainment Desk

Kochi | February 26, 2024 09:27 PM IST

3 min read

Helmed by Nag Ashwin, Kalki 2898 AD stars Prabhas in the lead role.

One of the most anticipated Indian films of the year, director Nag Ashwin’s Prabhas-starrer Kalki 2898 AD has been generating significant buzz ever since it was initially announced under the working title Project K. The excitement surrounding the movie reached new heights when the film’s team revealed its stellar cast, which also includes Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani, along with the official title and a sneak peek video.

Now, Ashwin himself has made some interesting revelations about the epic science-fiction film, promising that Kalki 2898 AD will be an extraordinary visual spectacle. While addressing the Synapse 2024 event in Gurgaon recently, Ashwin said, “I just wish that there was more tech to help us make this film, like three-four years back when we were in preproduction. We are creating this new world like… I am just looking at this picture right now on the screen, and all these different worlds that we are trying to create, we work with so many different concept artists and giving prompts, obviously, again, in a very personal, one on one sort of way, and try to give references and build this world.”

ICYMI | Nag Ashwin says he felt he was doing ‘engineering, not filmmaking’ while making Kalki 2898 AD, reveals relevance of film’s title

Referring to the timeline of events depicted in the film, he said, “Our film starts in Mahabharata and it ends in 2898. That’s the title of the film, it’s called Kalki 2898 AD. It spans 6,000 years of distance and time. So trying to create worlds that are there here, imagining what it could be like, still keeping it Indian and not make it look like a Blade Runner.”

Last month, while participating in IIT Bombay’s Tech Fest ’23, the director was asked about the possibility of an interplanetary storyline in Kalki. Nag Ashwin, however, emphatically clarified that the entire narrative unfolds completely on Earth.

Watch Kalki 2898 AD glimpse video here:

When asked about the reason behind naming the central character and the film Kalki, believed to be the 10th and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, Ashwin noted that he went with it because it’s a powerful name. “It is something connected to our present and past. That’s what the story is,” he added. In Hindu scriptures, Kalki is envisioned as the figure destined to bring an end to the Kali Yuga, one of the four stages in the cyclical nature of existence in Vaishnava cosmology.

Delving into the integration of mythology into a dystopian sci-fi narrative, Ashwin expressed enthusiasm, describing the process as interesting and enjoyable. Bankrolled by C Aswani Dutt under the banner of Vyjayanthi Movies, Kalki’s music is composed by Santhosh Narayanan. The film will hit the screens worldwide on May 9, 2024.

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