Kalki 2898 AD

Kalki 2898 AD is an upcoming 2024 Indian epic science fiction action film, co-written and directed by Nag Ashwin. Produced by C. Aswani Dutt of Vyjayanthi Movies, it was shot primarily in Telugu with some scenes reshot in Hindi. Inspired by Hindu mythology, the film is set in a post-apocalyptic world in 2898 AD. It stars Prabhas in the titlular role alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani.

First announced in February 2020, Kalki's production faced a year's delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming finally began in July 2021 at a futuristic set at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, and continued sporadically in several legs over the next three years before wrapping in March 2024. Made on a ₹600 crore (US$75 million) production budget, Kalki is the most expensive Indian film ever. Its music is scored by Santhosh Narayanan, with cinematography by Djordje Stojiljkovic, production design by Nitin Zihani Choudhary and editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.

Kalki 2898 AD was initially scheduled to release on 9 May 2024, but was postponed due to the ongoing 2024 Indian general election. It is now scheduled to release worldwide on 27 June 2024 in theatres.

Cast

Production

Development

Following the 2018 biographical film Mahanati, director Nag Ashwin stated in August 2019 that he has been working on an original story and screenplay for a long time which would go on floors soon. The same month, Vyjayanthi Movies revealed their plans to begin Ashwin's film in September that year and invited visual artists, designers and writers to join the production.

Vyjayanthi Movies officially announced in February 2020 that their next film with Ashwin would star Prabhas. It is intended to mark 50 years since the establishment of their studio. The film is produced by Ashwin's father-in-law C. Aswani Dutt.

Casting

In July 2020, Hindi film actress Deepika Padukone was signed to play the lead role opposite Prabhas. Padukone felt that she was "beyond thrilled" to join the production while Ashwin stated that her character would be a "surprise" as it was something which "no mainstream lead has [ever] done before". The film marks Padukone's debut in Telugu cinema. Bollywood Hungama reported that her role was initially "not substantial" but was improved to suit her stardom. In October, Amitabh Bachchan was cast in a full-length role in the film. Ashwin stated that his role was "so important that his character's name was the working title of an early draft". The film would be Bachchan's first full-length role in a Telugu film, following his cameo appearances in Manam (2014) and Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019).

In May 2022, Disha Patani joined the cast, marking her return to Telugu cinema after Loafer (2015). In June 2023, Kamal Haasan joined the cast, marking his return to Telugu cinema after Cheekati Rajyam (2015). He described his role as a cameo. In August 2023, Dulquer Salmaan revealed to the media that he visited the sets of the film although the actor never confirmed or denied his role in the film. In February 2024, Anna Ben joined the cast, marking her debut in Telugu and Hindi cinema.

Pre-production

The film was recognised as "Project K" which served as the working title of the film. Ashwin stated that the film needed high-end technology and futuristic vehicles to be developed for the film. While they can be recreated using computer-generated imagery (CGI), Ashwin wanted them to feel "authentic and genuine", therefore opted to build these vehicles from scratch with a dedicated team of engineers. In March 2022, Ashwin requested businessman Anand Mahindra to provide technical support to build such type of vehicles.

A few days later, Mahindra responded that their company Mahindra & Mahindra would assist the production team from their Mahindra Research Valley campus in Chennai. In July 2021, the makers have erected a futuristic set at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad where a significant portion of filming is expected to take place.

In August 2020, A. R. Rahman was initially approached to compose music for the film. Rahman did not sign the film, and Ashwin retained technicians from his earlier film Mahanati (2018), namely, composer Mickey J. Meyer and cinematographer Dani Sanchez-Lopez. But later, Serbian cinematographer, Djordje Stojiljkovic, replaced Dani Sanchez-Lopez as the official cinematographer of the film. In February 2023, Dutt stated in an interview that Santhosh Narayanan replaced Meyer as the composer, along with a female Bollywood composer composing a song for the film. Singeetam Srinivasa Rao joined the project to serve as a mentor.

Kalki 2898 AD was estimated to be mounted at a budget of ₹600 crore (US$75 million), making it the most expensive Indian film ever made.

Filming

Initially, the film was planned to begin its regular shoot in November 2020. However, it was postponed to the following year due to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Principal photography commenced in Hyderabad in July 2021 on the occasion of Guru Purnima, following a muhurtam shot featuring Bachchan. Prabhas and Padukone joined the production in December 2021 and scenes featuring Bachchan, Prabhas and Padukone were shot. The second schedule of the shoot took place in February 2022.

Instead of shooting the entire film in a single stretch, the team divided its 80–90 days of shoot into 7–8 days every month. This allowed the production team to take time and prepare the gadgets and props to be used in the film. Therefore, the production of the film was expected to take longer than usual. DIY Arri Alexa 65 camera was used to shoot the film, thus making it the first Indian film to use this technology.

Prabhas was expected to start filming his solo portions in April 2022, however, his knee surgery led to a delay of his upcoming projects including Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD. 90% of the shoot was done in sets built in Ramoji Film City. In June, Bachchan shot for a scene at Raidurg metro station. In July, Padukone and Prabhas shot for a car chase sequence in Hyderabad. Prabhas completed shooting the majority of his portions by the end of this schedule.

Principal photography of the film was expected to be completed by January 2023, following which post-production and visual effects works would take around 8 months. However, the film was still being shot in March 2023 when Bachchan injured his ribs and was advised to take rest in Mumbai. Around 70% of the filming was completed by June 2023. A romantic track featuring Prabhas and Disha Patani was filmed in Italy in March 2024.

Marketing

On 19 July 2023, the film's first look was released. It received negative response and later deleted by makers from social media handles and uploaded with some changes which also received criticism. Kalki 2898 – A.D became the first Indian film to be presented at San Diego Comic-Con's Hall-H on 20 July 2023, where the makers unveiled the official title and glimpse.

On the auspicious day of Maha Shivaratri, makers released a poster revealing Prabhas's character name as Bhairava. A new teaser introducing the character of Ashwatthama was unveiled on 21 April 2024. Inspired by the immortal character from the epic Mahabharata, Ashwatthama was portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan. On 27 April, the makers announced the new release date with a poster featuring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone. On 30 April 2024, Prabhas took fans of cinema and cricket by surprise as he appeared as Bhairava for an IPL promotional video during Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians. On 2 May 2024, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in his character of Ashwatthama where he delivered a motivational speech to the Indian cricket team as they prepare for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

Release

Theatrical

Initially aimed for a 2022 release and then scheduled to January 2024, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and production works. The film again got postponed from 9 May 2024 due to post-production works and 2024 Indian general election. It is now scheduled to release on 27 June 2024. The film is planned to be released in Telugu and Hindi while also dubbed versions in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and English.

References

External links

• Kalki 2898 AD at IMDb