'Kalki 2898 AD': Frame of future

'Kalki 2898 AD': Frame of future

As Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD takes the theatres by storm, the director spills the beans on the making of the dystopian epic.
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Star power, mind-boggling action and state-of-the art VFX. Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD has all of this and more. It is not surprising though. The 38-year-old director is a fan of Marvel films and Star Wars. He says he made the post-apocalyptic dystopian sci-fi epic to appeal to his 12-year-old self.

“A child’s mind is filled with questions after watching such films. The imagination is on fire. I remember feeling disoriented after watching James Cameron’s Avatar,” says the filmmaker, who wanted to recreate that effect. Except there was one categorical difference. He wanted it to be Indian.

“To see our mythological stories in a contemporary way with good technology is satisfying. We have seen it in television serials like Mahabharata, but a full cinematic vision with mainstream actors was yet to happen. That is what I wanted to do,” he says.

With a reported budget of Rs 600 crore, Kalki 2898 AD is touted to be the most expensive film ever made in India. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone, it released on June 27 in six languages. No wonder it is being called the most comprehensive Pan-Indian film. “We have been talking about Pan-Indian films for a while, but it is time we simply call them Indian,” he says adding, “It was a conscious decision to get actors from every state and language on our part.”

Nag Ashwin
Nag Ashwin

Prabhas may be headlining the film, but one of its biggest strengths is Bachchan’s cursed warrior character— the towering Ashwatthama—an imposing eight-foot-tall ancient hero. Ashwin admits having felt ‘silly’ to tell him what to do. “Bachchan sir puts all his experience and knowledge in his performance. He understands what the character needs and what I need. Even if I don’t do a great job explaining or directing him, he makes sure he finishes that last 10 or 20 percent in his own way. That is why he is a legend,” he says, adding that Bachchan’s experience as an action star came in handy for several sequences in Kalki 2898 AD. “At times, he would speak to the action director, figure out the camera angle, and move accordingly. He was always interested in understanding how we were going to achieve things with VFX. Without the energy and nuances he brought into his performance it wouldn’t have been as effective and believable,” the filmmaker says.

Not just Bachchan, the director is all praise for Padukone and Prabhas as well. “We have mostly seen Prabhas as a serious action, but he is a fun-loving person. So I wanted him to play a goofy role. Deepika understands what is required of her and holds herself with grace and dignity, which is what the character needed.”

After the first instalment in this universe, Ashwin has revealed plans for the highly-anticipated sequel, which is in its early stages with about 20-30 days of shooting completed. Are there plans to expand the worlds of Kasi, Complex and Shambala from the first part? “The story will start from where we left off,” he says. Ashwin has a full-proof plan in motion.

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The New Indian Express
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