Kalki 2898 AD, starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan, has shattered box office records, scooping a whopping ₹95 crores at the Indian box office on Day 1, marking the highest opening day collection in the history of Hindi cinema and surpassing the record of Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan. The film made a staggering ₹191.50 crore gross worldwide on its opening day.
Prabhas, the star of Baahubali, bombarded the box office with his previous blockbuster, Salaar, and has now returned with another massive project, Kalki 2898 AD. The cinematic spectacular, starring A-list actors, had audiences gripped when it hit theatres across the world yesterday.
Director Nag Ashwin, well known for Mahanati, accomplished the impossible by impressing this star-studded cast with his creative blend of mythology and science fiction. The film is already riding high on huge expectations, thanks to record-breaking pre-booking sales in North America. The Kalki 2898 AD trailer also wowed viewers for its amazing visuals and interesting blend of future themes and mythology.
The tale kicks off with the legendary Kurukshetra war from the Mahabharata era. Ashwatthama, played by Amitabh Bachchan, gets slapped with immortality by Lord Krishna and is sentenced to play babysitter for a divine reincarnation predicted to pop up 6,000 years in the future.
Fast forward to Kashi, where people live in a constant state of “Why me?” and daydreaming about relocating to the Complex—a utopia ruled by the mysterious Yaskin (Kamal Haasan).
Yaskin’s pet project, Project K, involves eyebrow-raising serum extraction from pregnant women. One of these women, Sumati (Deepika Padukone), makes a break for it, ending up in Kashi.
Ashwatthama thinks Sumati’s baby is a big deal, like divine-reincarnation-level big. Meanwhile, bounty hunter Bhairava (Prabhas) enters the fray, eager to nab Sumati and cash in on a sweet 5 million units.
Prabhas takes on the role of Bhairava, a character whose motivations are unclear in the beginning but becomes evident by the end. Bhairava has a simple dream: collect more units through bounty hunting and improve his existence in the Complex. To get there, he embarks on the goal of apprehending SUM 80, aka Sumati (Deepika Padukone), who has the supreme Yaskin hard on her heels.
Meanwhile, Ashwatthama, who has spent 6,000 years defending Sumati and her unborn child, faces off against Bhairava. In the Complex, fertile women are reduced to prenatal conduits for the mysterious Project K. Fortunately, the rebels and refugees from Shambala swoop in to save Sumati, anointing her ‘Maa’ as she is destined to give birth to Kalki.
Prabhas reaches his groove in the film’s second half, giving a portrayal that transitions from mystified greedy to steadfast guardian, a metamorphosis that is as fascinating as it is unexpected. Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone as Sumita steals the show, masterfully combining strength and tenderness, making her character completely compelling on screen.
What follows is a rollercoaster of twists and turns involving these characters and their interconnected worlds, with plenty of secrets left to unravel.
