New Delhi: Don't go with any expectations to watch 'Kalki 2898 AD'! This Nag Aswin's epic sci-fi genre of a film will not meet them. It will surprise, supersede and overwhelm everything that you may have expected from it.
'Kalki 2898 AD' is a cross-cultural mix of what multiple film genres, literatures can bring together on screen when there is right intention and great story behind it. Starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in the lead, 'Kalki 2898 AD' is what happens when the wildest of imaginations come true.
Nag Ashwin's grand film about simplifying the concepts of Dharma & Karma, contemporarising them and mixing them with science fiction to make a film that will cater to a wide demographic makes 'Kalki 2898 AD' a recommended watch.
Plot
'Kalki 2898 AD' begins in the fields of Kurkushetra, where Mahabharata ends. Lord Krishna cursed Ashwatthama with immortality for killing Uttara's unborn child.
Ashwatthama( played a younger looking Amitabh Bachchan, a definite delight for all of Bachchan fans) can atone for his actions by protecting the tenth and final avatar of Lord Vishnu( Kalki) in Kali Yug, 6000 years post the occurence of Mahabharata.
An intense opening sequence from the Yudhboomi( Kukukshetra) giving glimpses of the war, Lord Krishna, and Ashwatthama then transitions to another animated sequence about the recorded horrors of Kali Yug, such as the Holocaust, famine, wars, the state of vulnerable humans in society until the film opens in 2898 AD in Kashi.
The buildup to the grand opening at Kashi is intense and feels like a completely different film.
It is almost like jumping from a chapter in Amar Chitra Katha comics to the deserted landscapes which form the setting of most post-apolcalyptic science-fiction films in Hollywood( recollect Mad Max, Dune, and even Interstellar).
'Kalki 2898 AD' moves quite organically from 3rd Century BC to 2898 AD. Flashbacks and tonality helps bring in the disctintion as do the advancements in technology.
However, it is almost laughable to see an immortal Ashwatthama fight with machine cars, understand English phrases and make do with what was available in 2898 AD without raising an eyebrow.
Nevertheless, everything else in 'Kalki 2898 AD' like the grandeur, scale, (detailing as far as the production design is concerned), screenplay, performances forshadow the minute problems of the film.
Coming back to 2898 AD and Kashi, 'Kalki 2898 AD' then brings into picture the Complex( giving Dune vibes, from soldiers to the setting), Supreme God Yaskin( Kamal Haasan, bringing back memories of Voldemort ), Project K, Labs which harbour fertile women and more.
The entire film revolves around helping Deepika Padukone keep her unborn child( incarnation of God, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu) safe. In this mission, Ashwatthama, played by Amitabh Bachchan, becomes Indian Bruce Lee who is a master of all art forms including the Kalaripayattu.
Prabhas plays the opposite party, a projected mercenery whose heart lies in the right place. He battles Amitabh Bachchan in grand locales, deploys various fighting styles, and creates some memorable action sequences.
Pabhas is also an incarnation of a key figure in Mahabharata, who shared a close bond of friendship and loyality with Duryodhana. In time of need, he becomes the demi-god.... ( no spoilers here) and helps Ashwatthama in a key climax sequence of the film.
Performances
Amitabh Bachchan shines as Ashwatthama. Unlike Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra' where the veteran was under-utilised and over hyped, Senor Bachchan is given his due respect in 'Kalki 2898 AD'.
For Bachchan fans, this second innings of a career where he shines and how, and performs action sequences with the likes of modern day Telugu superstars like Prabhas, 'Kalki 2898 AD' will be a delight to watch.
Prabhas is introduced as Bounty Hunter Bhairava, who has never lost a fight.
His predictable high-combat action sequence is punctured with humour, some slowpace and an addition of Bujji( voiced by Keerthy Suresh), his right-hand help- an AI car, which almost works like a foil and alter ego to his character and adds a bit of depth to his character sketch.
Deepika Padukone adds emotion and vulnerability to the grand film about grand concepts in personification.
If Amitabh Bachchan is Karma personified, Deepika is Dharma with a touch of sensibility, vulnerablity, and emotion that is magnified on screen to portray and equally important chapter in it.
Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan and Saswata Chatterjee are underutilised in 'Kalki 2898 AD'. Given the clear indication of a sequel and the climax of the film, it is probable that the veteran actor will be seen more in the sequel of the 'Kalki' saga.
Several cameos from across the film industry give a break in the otherwise intense film.
Vijay Deverakonda, Dulquer Salman, Mrunal Thakur, Ram Gopal Varma, SS Rajamouli and several others give a moment of two's glimpse in the narrative.
Production design & cinematography
'Kalki 2898 AD' cannot be just seen. It has to be experienced. And, that is done with the help of a production design many will draw inspiration from for many years to come.
Thanks to the set, costume, and tech design that 'Kalki 2898 AD' becomes what it is, ie. a bold manifestation of drawing from the best across industries in the world.
Djordje Stojiljkovic handles the cinematography of 'Kalki 2898 AD' who uses the anamorphic cinematography technique for a film so large in scale that transcends time and millenia with the help of it.
The film has been shot on a DIY Arri Alexa 65 camera, a first of a kind in Indian film techology space, giving the perfect high resolution to the subject matter at hand.
The team of Vyjayanthi Movies also desevers full marks for the production design, including building portions of cities for making 'Kalki 2898 AD' look as real and detailed as possible.
Edit
'Kalki 2898 AD', has a run time of 181 minutes and there are several places where a good objective cut would have helped bring down the run time and quickened the pace of it.
One for instance; is the Prabhas' intro sequence. It feels old, predictable, purposely punctured with humour until he breaks into an action sequence which seems unending.
The other fight sequences involving Ashwatthama are also well-executed and edited. However, multiple song sequences including the out-wordly Disha Patani ( Roxie) and Prabhas' song in the Complex, the Shambhala anthem and more feel outdated in a film so layered and complex.
Music
One cannot not talk about Diljit Dosanjh's Bhairava anthem organically flowing at the most unpredictable place in the narrative. It perfectly elevates the otherwise casual fight sequence which introduces Bhairava's character in the film. There are also elements of opera inserted in fight sequences that slow down and add a touch of lightness to them.
Following the opening sequence, it is a delight to hear Amitabh Bachchan sing.
The background score is unnerving and overwhelming in the same places, as do the two songs each placed in the pre and post-interval film.
'Kalki 2898 AD' is incomplete without its CGI, tech involved in creating balloon bubble flying machines, aluminium-shine flying vehicles, bikes, cities, Project K, labs and Bujji.
Bujji becomes a transformer towards the climax of the film and then a modular suit-robot much like the Hulkbuster, gets involved in combat with Ashwatthama; a treat for any action film fan out there to watch.
A commendable effort for all of the tech so well deployed that the detailing of it needs to be studied at another level.
For now, 'Kalki 2898 AD' sets a shining protoype for all future films in the similar genre space to follow and learn from.
This Nag Ashwin film blends myth and science fiction so well, is deeply rooted and inspired from a cultural text, and feels original after a long, long time.
A shining flag in the science fiction space Indian film industries have set out to explore, Kalki 2898 AD is, shall and will always remain a benchmark to learn from and go back to.
Watch 'Kalki 2898 AD' for not just its actors, but also for everything else in between.