Kalki 2898 AD

About the film

Kalki 2898 AD is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language epic mythological science fiction film written and directed by Nag Ashwin. Produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, it features an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Shobana and Disha Patani. Inspired by Hindu scriptures, the film serves as the first instalment in the planned Kalki Cinematic Universe. Set in a dystopian future in the year 2898 AD in the city of Kashi, the story follows a group on a mission to protect lab subject SUM-80's unborn child, believed to be Kalki, the final incarnation of Vishnu.

The film was officially announced in February 2020 and had the working title of Project K. Principal photography commenced a year later in July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was shot sporadically over the next three years extensively in Ramoji Film City and wrapped by late-May 2024. The official title was revealed in July 2023. The film features music by Santhosh Narayanan, cinematography by Djordje Stojiljkovic, and editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.

Plot

In the aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, Ashwatthama unleashes the Brahmastra weapon to terminate the unborn child of Uttarā, aiming to systematically extinguish the Pandava lineage. As retribution for his malice, Krishna curses Ashwatthama with painful immortality and eternal suffering. He condemns him to wander the Earth for six millennia until he can redeem his soul by protecting the mother of Kalki, the prophesied final avatar of Vishnu.

Six thousand years later, in the year 2898 AD, Earth has deteriorated into a desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland. The historic city of Kashi stands as the final remaining bastion of humanity. Kashi is autocratically ruled by Supreme Yaskin, a totalitarian God king who resides in the "Complex", a massive, technologically advanced inverted pyramid floating above the city, accessible only to the wealthy elite. Impoverished and fertile women from the outskirts are systematically abducted for Project K, a secretive laboratory experiment aimed at extracting a life-extending serum from artificial pregnancies to grant Yaskin absolute immortality. None of the subjects have ever survived the lethal extraction process past the 150-day threshold.

SUM-80, a captive laboratory subject, successfully reaches the 150-day milestone of her pregnancy. Recognizing the impending danger, she escapes the high-security compound with the assistance of a rebel faction originating from Shambhala, a hidden mountain sanctuary populated by refugees who believe in the Kalki prophecy. During their trek back to Shambhala, a rebel named Kyra renames the subject Sumathi. However, their convoy is ambushed by Yaskin's militarized forces, known as the Raiders, alongside independent bounty hunters. Among them is Bhairava, an cynical mercenary who seeks to secure enough bounty points to earn a luxurious life inside the Complex, aided by his sentient AI vehicle, BU-JZ-1 aka Bujji. Kyra sacrifices herself to buy the group time, allowing Ashwatthama, who senses the divine presence of Kalki within Sumathi, to intervene, overpower the assailants, and take custody of her.

Production

After the success of Mahanati in 2019, Nag Ashwin stated that he had been working on an original story, for which he had spent a long time on. He also stated that the production would begin soon. The project would be funded by C. Aswani Dutt's Vyjayanthi Movies, which also funded Mahanati. The company announced on 7 August 2019 that the production would begin in September and posted a casting call for various artist positions. On 26 February 2020, coinciding the occasion of the 50th year since the establishment of Dutt's house, Prabhas was announced to be the lead actor. Tentatively titled Prabhas 21 (as it is intended to be the actor's 21st film in the lead role), the production would begin after the actor completes filming for Radhe Shyam (2022). The film was made on a production budget of ₹600 crore that included star remuneration of ₹80 crore to Prabhas, and ₹20 crore each to Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Deepika Padukone.

The lead actor, however, reportedly decided to take the revenue sharing model, receiving ₹80 crore as advance, and a chunk of the profits would be given to him as remuneration. In February 2021, it was reported that the filming would begin in March; however, Ashwin during the promotions for his short film in Pitta Kathalu (2021) stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Prabhas' prior commitments, the filming would commence at the latter half of the year. The film's official title, Kalki 2898 AD, was announced on 21 July 2023. It is a reference to Kalki, an avatar of Hindu deity Vishnu in the Hindu eschatology, according to the Bhagavata Purana, and 3102 BC – traditionally thought to be the beginning of Kali Yuga after the Kurukshetra War, from the death of Krishna (the film being set 6,000 years into the Kali Yuga, the era of the asura/demon Kali).

Ashwin co-wrote the film's script along with Rutham Samar, Sai Madhav Burra and B. S. Sarawagna Kumar, in his second consecutive film with Samar and Burra after Mahanati. A muhurat pooja ceremony was held on 24 July 2021 at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad with the presence of the film's cast and crew. The working title was revealed to have been changed to Project K the same day. Ashwin stated that the film needed high-end technology and futuristic vehicles to be developed for the film. Although they can be recreated using computer-generated imagery (CGI), the director opted to build these vehicles from scratch.

Key details