Nag Ashwin’s dystopian sci-fi film ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ has broken many records at the box office. The film earned more than Rs 500 crore in its first week at the box office. Although the film has garnered praise from all quarters, viewers found the first half of the film too sluggish. 


Ashwin reacted to the response the film, which heavily draws from the Mahabharata, has gotten so far. He said, “A movie like this is beyond us. The ambition was bigger in the sense that there was a larger thing at stake than just us. Many makers were waiting for the result of this sci-fi film. If it didn’t work, it would have closed doors for more years.”


Addressing the common response from moviegoers, the director said, “It has been a universal response that people found the first half slow, and it’s very valid. In a three-hour film, if viewers liked two hours and 54 minutes, I will take that.”


ALSO READ: Nag Ashwin Explains Why Deepika Padukone Has A Passive Role In Kalki 2898 AD: 'If You Remove Her...'


The magnum opus brought together a stellar ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Kamal Hassan, and Deepika Padukone. The filmmaker recalled how the production of the film began during the pandemic. He shared that it was “very difficult to get the finances” in place for the film.


“Luckily, we did have the biggest star cast of our country, so we had a little bit of a cushion there. Plus the previous films we (the producers) have done together, worked, so there was goodwill on that front,” Nag said.


Besides the star-studded cast, Krishnakumar, who plays the role of Lord Krishna, stole the scene during his brief screen time. Earlier, there were rumours that Mahesh Babu would play Lord Krishna in the film. Speaking about the depiction of Lord Krishna, he says, “This is how Krishna will be in the film. One of the first things I was very sure was we should have him in the silhouette, there should not be any form. Once you do that, you humanise him in a way. We didn’t want to humanise him.”



‘Kalki 2898 AD’ was globally released on June 27 in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English. The post-apocalyptic film stars Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Hassan.