New Delhi: Keerthy Suresh was almost cast as a human character in the epic science fiction film ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, but she ended up lending her voice to the AI-powered vehicle Bujji. The 31-year-old actor recently discussed her original offer of a more conventional role from filmmaker Nag Ashwin in an interview with Galatta Plus. Nevertheless, she wasn't sure she wanted to go through with the part at that moment.
Keerthy Suresh shared, “Nagi offered me another role in the film, which I wasn’t sure of. It was a human role, I’m glad I said no to it now.”
Keerthy eventually warmed up to the idea of contributing to the project in some way. Afterwards, Ashwin came up with a new plan and asked her in a light-hearted manner whether she wanted to "peep through the wall" by speaking to an AI bot. Keerthy jumped at the chance and was enthralled by the prospect of giving life to the AI robot, Bujji.
The actress shared, “I didn’t understand initially when he said he wanted me to voice an AI bot. I dubbed for Bujji & Bhairava before I worked on the film. I had a ball dubbing for the role in multiple languages, giving 5-6 modulations in each language to see which would suit it best. Dubbing for a film is normally easier.”
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About ‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’
In the movie, Keerthy plays the role of BU-JZ-1, an artificial intelligence droid built by Bhairava (Prabhas). Starring Deepika Padukone as SU-M80, Kamal Haasan as Supreme Yaskin, and Amitabh Bachchan as Ashwatthama, the film's future setting and main characters were introduced in the animated prelude ‘Bujji & Bhairava’.
‘Kalki 2898 AD’ is said to have been the most costly film ever filmed in India, with a whopping budget of Rs 600 crore. The film hit the theatres on June 27, 2024. The plot centres on a band of survivors in a post-apocalyptic society who are determined to claim an unborn kid for themselves.