Kalki 2898 AD Review - Nag Ashwin's Futuristic World Wins At The End With An Epic Touch Of Mahabharata

Kalki 2898 AD Review Movie Talkies

Kalki 2898 AD Review: Nag Ashwin spends over Rs. 600 crore on the sci-fi action flick Kalki 2898 AD and brings one of the most valued cast together: Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, and plenty of cameos. Is it worth it? Somewhat yes, somewhat no. With such a cast and budget, Kalki should have dreamed of becoming a pathbreaking film in Indian cinema, but it desires to be a typical outdated South Masala action flick. That was my opinion until intermission, or, to some extent, until the first 145–150 minutes. Kalki changed it in the last 30-35 minutes with its extraordinary vision by blending mythology (I call it history) and futuristic cinema in a big-screen spectacle that reminds you of its massive budget yet again. That average-looking show is elevated by the climax, and how! Perhaps the grandest and massiest elevation in the climax for any modern Indian film. Period. And for that, and only and only for that, Kalki 2898 AD deserves to be seen on a big screen, especially in IMAX 3D.The film begins with the end of the Mahabharata, as Ashwattha (Amitabh Bachchan) is cursed by Lord Krishna with immortality for his attempt to kill Uttara's unborn child. Krishna tells him about redemption, referring to his last avatar, Kalki, which will take place in the future world when darkness will take over the universe. Cut to a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2898 AD, the film follows the story of SUM-80, Sumathi (Deepika Padukone), a lab subject who happens to be the mother who will give birth to God. Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan), the proclaimed god of the Complex (a place presenting dystopian Kashi in the future), is trying to find serum from fertilized women who can bear his powers. While every woman is failing to do so and is dying in the process, Sumathi turns out to be healthy even after 150 days. Ashwatthama realizes the signs and arrives to save Sumathi and her child, while Yaskin's men are hunting every place down to find her. Bhairava (Prabhas) is a bounty hunter looking for a place in the Complex, and that's why he's after Sumathi, which sets him up against immortal Ashwatthama. Who will win?Kalki 2898 AD's screenplay has a lot of issues right from the beginning. First of all, the dialogues are too bad. The dialogue writer should be jailed for writing such outdated 1950s-type dialogues for a futuristic film. The humour is even cheaper. Bhairava and Bujii try to be funny, but end up becoming a big joke on the conceptualization of whoever wrote them and their dialogues. Some scenes are too illogical to be defended. Bhairava's desperate nature to join the Complex has no vital theories. Bujji seems more romantic than authentic. Ashwatthama is made to fight like a local guy. I mean, what the heck was that? He is FREAKING ASHWATTHAMA, man. He cannot die. He is immortal. He is powerful. And you want me to believe that he is fighting like a local man and is getting stopped by some machines and laser bullets? You must be kidding me. In one of the battle scenes with Bhairava, Ashwatthama is seen running from fire. I mean, that's the height of stupidity. The same goes for Bhairava and Roxy's (Disha Patani) characters. After getting a 60-minute pass in an AI-driven World of Complex, Bhairava is seen enjoying it like it was his house. Out of nowhere, he and Roxy have party clothes. There are no machines to track him down once those 60 minutes are over. Roxy just disappeared after that scene. Why?Now, up to the positives, Kalki's world is grand, and its grandeur is visible to the eyes. From the first scene, we see places like we have never seen them before in Indian cinema. Even though they don't attract you that well in the beginning, the interval block and the entire long climax scene make sure that you are blown away by their stupendous layouts and images. Nag Ashwin has written a terrible first half, as if he wasn't making Kalki—a Magnum Opus—but a regular mindless South action movie. But the same man kept all his weapons saved for the second half. So, THIS IS HOW YOU USE MYTHOLOGY! That twist in the climax with Prabhas' character will make sure that your ticket money is spent on something worthy. Kalki may have a hundred problems, but getting the climax right was never on that list. The action scenes between Prabhas and Amitabh are definitely what we call "a big-screen extravaganza."Believe it or not, Kalki 2898 AD belongs to Amitabh Bachchan. Yes, that's right. I know it is not the 1970s or 80s; it's 2024, and I am saying it again: Kalki belongs to Amitabh Bachchan. This man is 81, and he played the biggest role in the biggest Indian movie of the time. Can any Indian movie star ever surpass that? I highly doubt it. Salute the legend and thank God for keeping us alive in the same era when he was spreading magic on screen. He has the most screen time, most of the action sequences, and most of the dialogues. I have never seen any man over 80 do so in any Magnum Opus. Remember the name: Mr. AMITABH BACHCHAN.Prabhas plays the childish character of Bhairava, and that certainly leaves you furious. He seriously needs to avoid such scenes and acting. You just have to tolerate everything for 130 minutes or so, and the next 50 minutes will show you a different Prabhas. Read this line again when I say, Prabhas has got the most memorable scene of his career so far in Kalki's climax. People who really know the difference between fictional characters and those that are inspired by history or mythology will realize that the transformation of Bhairava into a great warrior, Karna, is something that many will remember for a long time. Yes, Bahubali was gigantic, but it was total fiction. Here, that's the only difference. I'd say, save your loudest cheer for Prabhas in the climax.Kamal Haasan has a fantastic look, but Kalki 2898 AD hasn't got much for him. That's because the game has just begun for him, the Yaskin. We will get to see what he can do and who he really is in the next part. It's ironic to realize that we are seeing pregnant Deepika's reels on Instagram in real life, and at the same time, she is seen flaunting a baby bump in reel life too. Some present callback value, I must say. Disha Patani is wasted, but she looks super fit and hot in those 10 minutes of her presence. Saswata Chatterjee has a big role, surprisingly, and Shobhana has a good small role as well. Vijay Deverakonda, Dulquer Salmaan, Anny Ben, SS Rajamouli, and Mrunal Thakur, Brahmanandam, Ram Gopal Varma, Malvika Nair, and many others have small small cameos that add some stability to the film.Kalki 2898 AD had no scope for music, and whatever music we have is pretty dull. It was a total waste of time. What makes this film slow? The songs, the editing, the melodramatic score, and the outdated execution. It wasn't necessary to stretch the film for 3 hours; I mean, it could have easily been trimmed by 30 minutes, especially those soapy scenes and songs. The cinematography is good, the production value is top-class, and the art design is nice. Keeping those 30 minutes of climax aside, I want to ask Nag Ashwin: Are you really the same man who made Mahanati? Kalki 2898 AD lacks finesse in crafting, whereas Mahanati was all about finesse in crafting and storytelling. Kalki is far too outdated and dramatic to be accepted as a futuristic film. It definitely does not surpass Ashwin's Mahanati in terms of quality, acting, storyline, class, and overall outcome, but the mass value and crowd sentiments are too high here. Nag certainly needs to update himself and realize the difference between a magnum opus and a humdrum mass film. Kalki could have been much better, if not bigger, because it's too big already, but thankfully, it doesn't see any big lows. Nag somehow survives with the incredible vision he had for the climax and the future of this cinematic universe, and I want him to deliver a better film in the sequel. Let Hollywood know that they can never have the kind of history and culture we have, so we should use it carefully in cinema. All the best for the upcoming extravaganza. I can only imagine what stunning surprises we will see in the next movies of the Kalki franchise. Go for it.