Nag Ashwin’s highly anticipated film, Kalki 2898 AD, featuring an ensemble cast including Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan, has been released worldwide on June 27. The film uniquely blends Hindu mythology with a dystopian setting, where a group of characters is on a mission to save the unborn child of Deepika Padukone’s character. This child is prophesied to be Kalki, the avatar of Lord Vishnu.
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the box office collection for Kalki 2898 AD on its first day could reach an impressive Rs 200 crore globally. The film is projected to gross Rs 500 crore over its first weekend. Achieving these figures would set a new record for 2024 and mark another major success for Prabhas. In India alone, the film is expected to earn between Rs 120-140 crore on opening day, a feat unmatched by any other film in 2024 so far.
Kalki 2898 AD (Hindi) movie review:
Initially, starting the film with the climax of the Kurukshetra battle, where Ashwatthama is cursed by Lord Krishna to live eternally to understand his mistake yet given a chance at redemption, seems like a brilliant idea. However, as the story unfolds and more fictional elements dominate, the plot becomes so convoluted that it is almost impossible to absorb.
Six hundred years after the Kurukshetra battle, we are transported to an absurd world with three fictional places—Kashi, Complex, and Shambala—each with an undefined purpose. We only know that Kashi is the only existing city, ruled by the evil Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan), who operates from Complex, an inverted pyramid hovering over the city. Yaskin seeks a serum from a fertile woman.
Enter SUM-80, also known as Sumathi (Deepika Padukone), an impregnated lab subject who escapes from Complex. Bounty hunter Bhairava (Prabhas) is tasked with capturing her, accompanied by his AI droid sidekick BU-JZ-1, also known as Bujji (voiced by Keerthy Suresh). Bhairava encounters Ashwatthama (Amitabh Bachchan), who must protect Sumathi at all costs, as she is carrying the unborn child Kalki, the tenth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, destined to protect the world from evil forces. This forms the core of “Kalki 2898 AD,” but the film stretches to a little over three hours, making it a challenging watch.