Xtreme Vogue Mumbai Desk: Komal Qureshi
Star Cast: Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone
Director: Nag Ashwin
Movie Synopsis:
KALKI 2898 AD is the story of an extraordinary man in the future. The year is 2898 AD. Bhairava (Prabhas) is a bounty hunter who lives in the last city on earth – Kashi. All other cities have vanished and the residents of Kashi live a hand-to-mouth existence. The elite residents, meanwhile, reside in a place called ‘Complex’. Bhairava’s dream is to earn enough money to get a place in the Complex. The Complex is governed by a commander named Manas (Saswata Chatterjee) and he reports to Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan). Yaskin has begun ‘Project K’ and has imprisoned expecting mothers for an experiment. One such mother is Sumati (Deepika Padukone). Unknown to the Complex residents and armed forces, one of her colleagues is Lily (Kavya Ramachandran), a rebel. These rebels are against the Complex and reside in a secret location named Shambala. Circumstances compel Lily to get Sumati out of the Complex before she gets killed. A bounty is placed on Sumati and Bhairava goes behind her. All of a sudden, Ashwatthama (Amitabh Bachchan) is awakened and he decides to save Sumati’s life at any cost. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Story Review:
Nag Ashwin’s story is fantastic and has merged mythology with the future seamlessly. Nag Ashwin’s screenplay (additional screenplay by Rutham Samar) has some loose ends. Still, he compensates for it with the rest of the script which is taut and compelling. Sai Madhav Burra’s dialogues (additional dialogues by B S Sarwagna Kumar) are okay but a few of the Easter Eggs one-liners add to the humour.
Nag Ashwin’s direction is supreme. From the very start, it is clear that this is a genuine effort. The mythology angle is the USP and it is not added just for the heck of it. Moreover, the way it’s smartly merged with the story of the dystopian era is seen to be believed. The characters and their arcs add to the fun and madness and once they all come together, the film goes on a high. The numerous cameos also contribute to the entertainment quotient. The finale is the best part of the enterprise and expect a lot of whistles and claps at this point.
On the flipside, except for the introduction scene and intermission point, the first half is weak. The world of 2898 AD is not explained properly and hence, viewers might not get connected to it completely. Moreover, the experiment of Yaskin is not clearly explained and it might confuse viewers. Lastly, a few scenes and moments might give a deja vu of films like MAD MAX and even BAAHUBALI.
Performances:
Prabhas is in top form. He is great in the action scenes but watch out for him in the funny sequences. He plays to the gallery convincingly. Amitabh Bachchan shines and how. He has a mass action avatar and only he could have played this part. Deepika Padukone’s casting adds to the film and she delivers a first-rate performance. Kamal Haasan is there for just two scenes and rocks the show. Disha Patani (Roxie) looks sizzling but her role is forced into the narrative. Kavya Ramachandran and Saswata Chatterjee lend able support. Brahmanandam (Rajan) raises laughs. Shobana (Mariam) and Anna Ben (Kyra) leave a huge mark. Anil George (Bani), Pasupathy (Veeran), Ayaz Pasha (Ajju) and Keya Nair (Raia) are fair. Keerthy Suresh is great as the voice of Bujji. Lastly, Mrunal Thakur, S S Rajamouli, Ram Gopal Varma, Vijay Deverakonda, Dulquer Salmaan etc are too good in special appearances.
Kalki 2898 AD music and other technical aspects:
Santhosh Narayanan’s music is very poor. Not a single song is memorable. Santhosh Narayanan’s background score is terrific.
Djordje Stojiljkovic’s cinematography is too good, especially in the chase sequences. Nitin Zihani Choudhary’s production design is imaginative. The costumes are stylish and have a futuristic vibe. The VFX matches global standards and doesn’t look tacky even in a single frame. King Solomon, Andy Long, Peter Heins, Satish, Anbariv and Nick Powell’s action could have been more exciting but overall, they contribute to the entertainment and the scale of the film. Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao’s editing is overall fine but could have been slicker in a few scenes. The fight scenes between Amitabh Bachchan and Prabhas, for instance, were too long and even repetitive.
Kalki 2898 AD Movie Conclusion:
On the whole, KALKI 2898 AD stands as a grandiose spectacle that depicts the future like never before in Indian cinema and also merges mythology seamlessly, thereby delivering a unique experience to the audiences. At the box office, it has taken a flying start and with a positive word of mouth, it has the potential to scale dizzying heights.
