Nag Ashwin answers 5 burning questions about Kalki 2898 AD and its sequel

Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD is a dystopian sci-fi film starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kamal Haasan in the lead roles. While the film sets up the world of Kashi, Complex, and Shambala, it also leaves many unanswered questions about some of its plot points and characters. The director answered them all at a press conference in Hyderabad on the set where Kalki 2898 AD was shot. (Also Read: Did Kamal Haasan's Supreme Yaskin from Kalki 2898 AD almost look like this? Concept artist shares rejected look)

Why does Kalki 2898 AD not show enough suffering?

One criticism Nag faced was that his dystopian world didn’t show enough suffering despite setting up a world devoid of enough resources. The director, however, claims it was a conscious choice to make the film ‘accessible to kids’. He said, “It was a creative choice to show Prabhas’ character in a light-hearted manner despite the world crumbling around him. There’s humour in the darkest of times. Even in a war, there are people with a sense of humour. I also wanted to stress on the importance of human relations.”

Is there more to Kalki 2898 AD than what was shown?

While Nag has already introduced a Kashi with dried Ganga, a Complex with resources no one else in the world has and Shambala, a refuge from the disparity, the director hinted at another world through one of the characters. “All I could do was drop hints in Kalki 2898 AD. The sequel will introduce new worlds, new characters. In this film, Shambala was particularly interesting to me because everyone from Tibetans to Indians believe a version of it.”

Why does Kalki 2898 AD have a sequel?

Nag admits that he started out wanting to make one film and wrap up the story of Kalki 2898 AD. But given that he had four main characters - Bhairava (Prabhas), SU-M80 (Deepika), Ashwatthama (Amitabh) and Supreme Yaskin (Kamal) - he wanted to do them all justice. “I soon realised that fitting four characters into one film was not manageable. It had its challenges. There is a lot of action and backstories that have yet to be explored, and they will be in the sequel. We still have a lot of shooting, even casting for new characters, left to do.”

Will SU-M80 get to do more in the sequel?

Nag acknowledges the criticism he faced for the film's first half, apart from how he handled his characters. SU-M80 is a character who’s constantly saved by the people around her. “Things might have been diluted because I was trying to make another part, but I could’ve done things differently. But now that the world is set, we can go full throttle in the second part. Deepika’s character is very important to the story and not just a damsel-in-distress. Much like Ashwatthama, Karna will also get a chance to redeem himself after being on the wrong side of Mahabharata.”

What secrets does the mid-credit scene spill?

In the mid-credit scene, Supreme Yaskin turns powerful and chants a line penned by the poet Sri Sri to share his intentions. The scene sees Yaskin getting a taste of what he has desired for years and feeling drunk on power. The director said, “I thought it was a good line that fits his role. It’s his philosophy. You’ll see more of him in part two. However, I don’t think those lines mean anything more than what they are.”

More about Kalki 2898 AD

At the press meet, director Nag was asked why he wanted to tap into Mahabharata and he said that when we think of Telugu cinema, we think of the 1957 Savitri-starrer Mayabazar, which is also a fictional take on Mahabharata. He also pointed out that the 1991 Rajinikanth, Mammootty-starrer Thalapathi was a version of Karna’s story.

Nag called Ram Gopal Varma and SS Rajamouli’s cameos in the film a ‘tribute’ to the directors who ‘changed the film industry’. “I told RGV he’d definitely be in Kali Yugam, that made him say yes,” he joked. He also revealed that Bujji’s design is patented and trademarked, with the RTO also providing the vehicle a temporary registration number.