Kalki 2898 AD

Theatrical. Initially aimed for a 2022 release and then scheduled to January 2024, it was delayed to 9 May 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and production work. It got postponed again from 9 May 2024 to 27 June 2024 owing to the 2024 Indian general election. Kalki 2898 AD is an upcoming 2024 Indian epic dystopian action film written and directed by Nag Ashwin. Produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies, it was shot primarily in Telugu with some scenes re-shot in Hindi. Inspired by Hindu scriptures, the film is set in a post-apocalyptic world, in the year 2898 AD. The film features Prabhas in the lead role with an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, Disha Patani, and Brahmanandam in prominent roles. And first announced in February 2020, Kalki 2898 AD’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$72 million) production budget, Kalki 2898 AD is the most expensive Indian film. The music was scored by Santhosh Narayanan, with cinematography by Djordje Stojiljkovic, production design by Nitin Zihani Choudhary, and editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao. The film is planned to be the first installment in the Kalki Cinematic Universe. Kalki 2898 AD was initially scheduled to release on 9 May 2024, but was postponed due to the 2024 Indian general election. It is now slated for a worldwide theatrical release on 27 June 2024, in IMAX, 3D, and various other film formats.

Premise

In 2898 AD, the desertified city of Kasi is now the only city known to exist, ruled by a totalitarian elite, led by god king Supreme Yaskin, from a hovering inverted-pyramidal-megastructure above the city, known as the “Complex”. Set against the backdrop of ancient Indian Hindu mythology and a dystopian society, the story chronicles the journey spanning millennia, from the events of the Mahabharata in the year 3102 BC, the beginning of Kali Yuga, to 2898 AD. The core of the narrative revolves around the arrival of enigmatic figure of Kalki, the tenth and final avatar of the Hindu deity, Vishnu.

Cast

Prabhas as Bhairava, a bounty hunter

Amitabh Bachchan as Ashwatthama

Kamal Haasan as Supreme Yaskin, the proclaimed god of the Complex

Deepika Padukone as SUM-80, a pregnant lab subject

Disha Patani as Roxie

Rajendra Prasad

Shobhana as Mariam

Saswata Chatterjee as Commander Manas

Brahmanandam as Rajan, Bhairava’s landlord

Pasupathy as Veeran, a rebel from Shambhala

Anna Ben as Kyra, Veeran’s associate and a rebel from Shambhala

Malvika Nair as Uttarā

Keerthy Suresh as BU-JZ-1 alias Bujji, Bhairava’s companion AI droid/vehicle (voice-over)

Casting

Deepika Padukone (top), Amitabh Bachchan (middle) and Kamal Haasan (bottom). 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. 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.

Filming

Ramoji Film City, where parts of the film were shot. 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 including at the Royal Palace of Caserta.