By Reneeka Chatterjee, a cine-enthusiast
(Disclaimer: Please note that this is not a review of the film. The article talks about the plot and the characters of the film. There are spoilers, so please tread carefully if you have not watched the film yet.)
Inspired by Hindu mythology and scriptures, ‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ is the first instalment in a planned Kalki Cinematic Universe. The film is successfully running in cinemas now.
Director: Nag Ashwin
Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, Disha Patani, Saswata Chatterjee, Shobana Pillai
Date of release: 27th June 2024 (global release)
Running time: 180.56 minutes
Where to watch: In cinemas now
‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ is an epic science-fiction film which is set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2898 A.D., and features a group of people who are on a mission to save Lord Kalki, the unborn son of SUM-80. SUM-80 is a lab subject. Moreover, Lord Kalki is believed to be the tenth and final incarnation of Lord Vishnu who will appear during the Kali Yuga, and will bring an end to all the miseries of humankind. His birth will give rise to a new age called the “Satya Yuga”.
The Plot
The movie begins with the Mahabharata War or the Kurukshetra War which took place in 3102 B.C., and shows the story of how Ashwatthama (son of Guru Dronacharya) was cursed by Lord Krishna, the eighth reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, with immortality for attempting to kill Uttara’s unborn child during the war. Ashwatthama has been roaming the earth since the Kurukshetra War, attempting to seek redemption for his action.
Following the Kurukshetra War, the futuristic city of Kashi is established in the post-apocalyptic period (in 2898 A.D.), six thousand years after the events of the Kurukshetra War. In this city, the poor are exploited and abused by the rich. The government is totalitarian in nature and the poor people are often treated as slaves. The poor people do not even have enough food and water to survive. The authoritarian ruler of this city is called Supreme Yaskin. Supreme Yaskin lives in a place called the “Complex” where everything is available in abundance.
Supreme Yaskin is carrying out a project called “Project K” in the Complex. Fertile women are exploited and manhandled in the Complex to conduct lab experiments, and SUM-80 happens to be one of these women. Bhairava, a bounty hunter who leads a careless and reckless life, wishes to live a life full of wealth and luxury in the Complex. He is hence collecting enough “units” (a measure of currency) so that he can live in the Complex and afford a luxurious life.
The rebels of Shambala think that Lord Kalki (the final avatar of Lord Vishnu) will be born to a “Maa” (mother) and will liberate the people of Kashi from all their sufferings and miseries. So, the rebels are frantically searching for the mother who will give birth to this divine avatar of Lord Vishnu. Ashwatthama is on a mission to protect and take care of the mother who will give birth to Lord Kalki, because he wants to protect Lord Kalki who is the saviour of humankind.
The rebels as well as Ashwatthama are on a mission to fight against Supreme Yaskin and his people. They are guilty of inflicting miseries and troubles galore on the poor people of Kashi. Bhairava too wishes to save and protect Lord Kalki and his mother, but he is a selfish and stupid guy who just wants his entry into the Complex, and does not think about the welfare of the people in the long run.
There is a point of time in the movie when SUM-80, one of the pregnant slave workers, runs away from the evil clutches of Supreme Yaskin and Commander Manas, and hides from his army of wicked people. When SUM-80 runs away with a group of rebels, Bhairava starts hunting for her, for his personal benefits. An adventurous conflict begins between Bhairava and Ashwatthama as Ashwatthama tries to protect SUM-80 from Bhairava’s clutches.
Ashwatthama defeats Bhairava and emerges as the protector of SUM-80. In the meantime, Bhairava assures Commander Manas that he will somehow forcibly fetch SUM-80 and bring her to him. Ashwatthama takes SUM-80 to a safe zone but Bhairava appears there as well, and intense conflict arises as Ashwatthama embarks on a divine mission to protect the mother of Lord Kalki from Bhairava and from the wicked Complex-dwellers.
The Main Characters
I have decoded the main characters of the film below. Most of the characters are equally important and play major roles in carrying forward the plot of the film.
1. Bhairava (played by Prabhas):
Bhairava is a selfish and self-centred bounty hunter who is ambitious but reckless and stupid. He has an undefeated record because no one has ever defeated him in a fight before. He is so ambitious that he can go to any extent to lead a lavish life in the Complex. Bhairava’s aim is to collect nearly one million units so that he can enter the Complex and lead a life of wealth and luxury. To achieve this goal, he even agrees to capture SUM-80, leading to an intense and thrilling faceoff against the immortal Ashwatthama.
2. Ashwatthama (played by Amitabh Bachchan):
Ashwatthama, as we all know, is the son of Guru Dronacharya, and is a friend of the Kauravas. He fought against the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War and was cursed by Lord Krishna with immortality. He is seeking redemption and has since roamed the earth for nearly six thousand years. He is the protector of SUM-80, who carries Lord Kalki, the final avatar of Lord Vishnu and the saviour of the universe, in her womb.
3. SUM-80 aka Sumathi (played by Deepika Padukone):
SUM-80, also known as Sumathi, is a 150-day pregnant woman who is hiding her pregnancy from Commander Manas and the rest of the exploitative people in the Complex. She is a lab subject of Project K and is also the prophesied mother of Lord Kalki. She is believed to be carrying a divine manifestation of God in her womb who is destined to bring an end to the Kali Yuga. She has to protect and save herself from the wicked people in the Complex, and is able to do so with the help of Shambala’s rebels, and with Ashwatthama’s timely protection.
4. Supreme Yaskin (played by Kamal Haasan):
Supreme Yaskin is the totalitarian ruler of the Complex and is worshipped by the Complex-dwellers as if he were God. He is cruel, wicked, and exploitative, and mistreats the people who live in the post-apocalyptic world. He is leading Project K, intending to create or extract a life-extending serum from the womb of a fertile woman in the Complex. This serum is expected to make him more powerful and immortal. He basically wants to exploit and ill-treat the people of Kashi forever, so that the Kali Yuga never comes to an end.
5. Roxie (played by Disha Patani):
Roxie is Bhairava’s female companion or love interest; she is almost like his consort. Like Bhairava, Roxie also wants to lead a luxurious and painless life in the Complex. She wants to collect more and more units and become wealthier. However, she identifies and explains Bhairava’s flaws to him, and makes him aware of how stupid he sometimes is.
6. Commander Manas (played by Saswata Chatterjee):
Commander Manas is one of the promoters of tyrannical rule in the Complex as he is a loyal devotee of Supreme Yaskin. His primary aim is to retrieve a fertile woman who bears a divine manifestation of God in her womb. He is merciless and wants to kill the woman who bears Lord Kalki so that the rule of the dark forces never ends. He even tortures Divya (played by Mrunal Thakur in a probable cameo appearance), a lady who was assumed to be carrying Lord Kalki in her womb.
7. Bujji (voice-over by Keerthy Suresh):
Bujji is a vehicle powered by Artificial Intelligence which acts as Bhairava’s companion. Bujji is portrayed as a hand-built vehicle by Bhairava, and is not an ordinary vehicle. It is an AI marvel that has a unique personality of its own and serves as Bhairava’s loyal sidekick, in swanky style.
8. Mariam (played by Shobana Pillai):
Mariam is the leader of Shambala. She leads the rebels who have embarked on a mission to protect and save SUM-80 from the clutches of the evil army in the Complex. She is a kindhearted woman who displays immense amounts of pity and sympathy.
My Thoughts About The Film
‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ is a grandiose spectacle that is visually appealing, and depicts the future like never before in Indian cinema. The film seamlessly merges Hindu mythology, science fiction, action, adventure, drama, and conflict. Thereby, the makers of the film deliver a unique and satisfying experience to the audience.
The pre-intermission half of the film is slow, long, and a bit boring. The post-intermission half is better as the film progresses, and culminates in an extraordinary climax. The last forty minutes are particularly spectacular and well-crafted, creating an impactful climax that leaves you excited for the sequel. Nag Ashwin must be lauded for his ambitious vision and direction, making ‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ an engaging experience for Bollywood cine-goers.
The movie boasts of exceptional VFX and CGI, well-executed action sequences, strong storytelling that makes the audience crave for more, and show-stealing acting performances by most of the actors, especially Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan is the soul of film, and he portrays the character of Ashwatthama with utmost elan and gravitas.
Fun fact: ‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ has a number of interesting cameos. Vijay Deverakonda appears as Lord Arjuna, Dulquer Salmaan appears as a “Captain” who guards Bhairava, and Mrunal Thakur appears as Divya, a fertile woman in the Complex who was assumed to be Lord Kalki’s mother. These cameo appearances further intensify the excitement that the spectators have for the upcoming sequel to the film.
Although the film has several shortcomings such as inconsistent momentum, irregular pacing, stretched scenes, underwhelming character arcs, not-so-engaging buildups and setups, unnecessary songs, and not-so-tight editing; ‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ manages to offer an interesting glimpse into a fascinating and thrilling dystopian world. The film is a decent one-time watch.