Sometimes trailers don’t do justice to what the film has to offer. And for me, this lesson has been learned after watching Nag Ashwin’s much-awaited film Kalki 2898 AD. TBH, I was sceptical about the film’s plot and storytelling, and maybe a little too quick to judge. However, the Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan starrer left me in awe of its visuals, action sequences and most importantly, some standout performances. Kalki 2898 AD has some major drawbacks in the first half that are difficult to overlook. Still, post-interval, the film picks up pace, and I was completely engrossed in Nag Ashwin’s futuristic dystopian world.
Plot
The story of Kalki 2898 AD is written by director Nag Ashwin and it takes inspiration from the famous Indian epic Mahabharata. The film draws many parallels with it in terms of story and characters. It is based around a dystopian world, set in 2898 AD where humanity is at its worst but technology is way ahead of your imagination. Amitabh Bachchan plays the character of Ashwatthama while Prabhas essays the role of Bhairava, Deepika Padukone plays the pregnant woman Sumati and Kamal Haasan as the antagonist Supreme Yasin, The film is set in Kasi and instead of money, people here deal in units. In the middle of the city, there is a Complex in the shape of an inverted pyramid which is led by the Supreme (Kamal Haasan). This complex has many women trapped inside it, among which a dangerous experiment titled Project K is carried out on the ones who are fertile. However, in a world where the evils are ruling, there also exists a group that is working for a brighter future, and in this film, they are called the rebels who live peacefully in Shambala. As the story progresses, we get to know that the whole idea of this project is to extract some kind of serum from that one woman who has passed at least 120 days of pregnancy without dying. Later, we discover that it is Deepika Padukone’s Sumati who is carrying this important child in her womb, and this special child is Vishnu’s 10th avatar Kalki. Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD establishes this plot in the first half, and post-interval, the film revolves around how Supreme Yaskin’s people are desperate to get hold of Sumati while Ashwatthama fulfils his responsibilities for her safety. The film also has a strong face-off between Amitabh Bachchan’s Ashwatthama and Prabhas’ Bhairava, in which one tries to save Sumati while the other wants to capture her just to get into the good book of Supreme. The movie leaves us on a cliffhanger because there is a second part to it!
What did I like?
Well, I would like to begin talking about the first half of the film, during which the base of Kalki 2898 AD’s story is set. The visuals are insane and that was the first thing to impress me. An action sequence which was a bit of a stretch but still enjoyable to some extent because of the direction. Right before the interval, Deepika Padukone’s Sumati escaping from the horrifying world of Supreme Yaskin also held my attention. The interval block was quite impactful and it reminded me of Deepika Padukone’s last scene in Padmavat when she walks towards the fire. Now I won’t say much here! However, the second half of Kalki 2898 AD has more merits compared to the first few hours.
Stellar Performances!
In the second half, Amitabh Bachchan’s performance as Ashwatthama was a standout. I could hear whistles and claps every time the actor pulled off a great action sequence, well most of it was just action in the second half. Amitabh Bachchan as Ashwatthama in Kalki 2898 AD left me in admiration towards his attention to detail in making the role look not just convincing but powerful on the big screen.
Kamal Haasan as Supreme Yaskin was intimidating and he created an eerie feeling around his character with a lot of ease. While I wanted to see more of the veteran star, I cannot deny the fact that he easily took all the limelight whenever he was on the screen. The prosthetics on him were class-apart and they worked wonders to lay a strong foundation for Kamal Haasan’s character as the antagonist which I believe will have a prominent part to play in the sequel of Kalki.
Mind-Boggling VFX!
TBH, when the film started with a little background on Ashwatthama’s story, the VFX looked funny, especially how they presented Amitabh Bachchan’s young Ashwatthama, but this quickly changed for me after a few minutes into the film. And the visuals just got better. It became one of the biggest reasons to be invested in the film for three long hours. The action sequences, the barren lands of Kasi and the beautiful world of Shambala which is very similar to Wakanda in Black Panther are presented exceptionally well through the use of VFX. Even the Bhairava’s Bujji and the other futuristic cars in the film are kaafi impressive and NGL, for a moment the heavily technology-driven world looked very cool to me.
Action Sequences
Nag Ashwin took the action sequences in Kalki very seriously, and it made it worth the watch. The constant to and fro between Ashwatthama and Bhairava, hand-to-hand combats and the continuous display of who’s stronger kept me on the edge of my seat. And well, I could watch it a few more times because it was so engaging.
Flashbacks Of Mahabharata
Kalki 2898 AD gives a very crisp but fitting context about Ashwatthama’s story and a brief from the Kurukshetra war in the first 10 minutes. So naturally, there are many flashbacks that Ashwatthama gets during in the film and those moments are quite interesting to watch. The smart way of incorporating our Indian epics with the dystopian future is another aspect of the film that I loved!
The Story
We need to appreciate Nag Ashwin for writing this story and presenting it with so much finesse, barring some drawbacks. The idea of talking about Vishnu’s Kalki avatar and blending it so well with Ashwatthama’s legend, while simultaneously imagining a future and making it all so convincing is commendable. We need more such stories and well, while I suggest that this Telugu film should be watched with sub-titles, the Hindi dubbed version did not bother me, so brownie points for that too!
Cameos
Nag Ashwin had some really good surprises for us when it came to cameos. From Vijay Deverakonda to SS Rajamouli, these cameos added a lot of fun, thrill and excitement to the plot and I enjoyed these sequences. Well, I won’t be spilling more about this!
What I Did Not Like?
I found Prabhas’ performance average in Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD. I did not feel that the lead had any exceptional moments in the film or something that I had not seen him do in previous films. The expressions and body language of Prabhas gave me major deja vu moments and I felt that there was a scope for experimenting with his character which for me lacked big time! He was overshadowed in his sequences with Amitabh Bachchan. However, not to forget, I thoroughly enjoyed a sequence in which Prabhas’ Bhairava is in a trance and a big revelation is made about his character. I hope to see more of Prabhas’ skills as an actor in the sequel of this film.
Deepika Padukone as the mother of an important child has now become redundant and even in Kalki, she had nothing more to add. Deepika is a fine actor and she effortlessly pulled the role of Sumati but did she do something new or experimental? I don’t think so. The remorse of a helpless pregnant woman and the constant guilt of becoming a big reason for all the destruction were emotions delivered with perfection but still, it left me wanting something more from her role which I did not get to see till the end. Hoping the sequel fulfils this expectation. I want to see her doing some action, I mean, don’t make her character look so pathetic, she is carrying Vishnu’s 10th avatar!
I am still trying to understand the importance of Disha Patani’s character as Roxie in the film. The whole sub-plot between Roxie and Bhairava is an unnecessary addition in the film and rather makes the plot look immature for a moment. This was the biggest weakness in the plot that made the first half boring!
Comedy
I am sorry but I was not laughing when the characters, especially Bhairava tried to act funny. From the dialogue writing to the dialogue delivery, everything about the comedy was poorly executed and was not needed as well! These conversations stretched the plot to an extent where I felt drowsy, but thankfully, it only happened in the first half of the film!
Well, I must warn you that you may find the ending abrupt!
Also Read: 8 Fan Theories About Kalki 2898 AD That Will Blow Your Mind!
Verdict
Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD is a film that is meant to be watched on the big screen. The clever writing is inspired by our Indian mythological characters and strong VFX to show the different eras ranging from Mahabharata to 2898 AD is brilliantly executed. While it’s not a perfect film and comes with its own set of flaws, however, if you see the bigger picture, the various elements in Kalki 2898 AD like storytelling, performances and direction make the negatives look very negligible. You will want to give a standing ovation to Amitabh Bachchan for his extraordinary performance at the age of 80. This film deserves the attention of all the cinephiles looking for some good story to watch in the theatres. Will you watch it?