Prabhas’ film has the firepower that an ambitious futuristic franchise needs
Its vaulting ambitions, visual extravagances and confusing millennia-spanning time-frame are never deserted. Kalki 2898 AD. This helps and at times helps the Ashwin Nag-directed film overcome its narrative speed-breakers and hurdles. There are too many, especially in the first half, which is an incoherent mess riddled with many unanswered questions.
Kalki 2898 ADwhich opens during the Kurukshetra war and ends with an encounter between Lord Krishna and Ashwatthama (Amitabh Bachchan), jumps 6,000 years into the future and 874 years. Kaliyuga is upon mankind, evil has overtaken the earth, the Ganga has dried up, barrenness has engulfed humanity and people are hopelessly waiting for divine deliverance.
There is no scientific reason toh hoga (must have a scientific reason), says a character when he is shown an object that confuses him. This is a question that can be asked about the film as a whole. It is beyond science, he is called. That, in a way, sums up Kalki 2898 AD An awkward melange of rationalism, mythology and high-octane action inspired by Hollywood superhero movies.
Its expository part Kalki 2898 AD They are rushed, complicated and hard to grasp. The film can be done with some interference to increase directness and clarity. But, as it plunges into the second half and rushes towards its climax, it reverts to the sheer sweep of mounting and execution to make up for what it lacks in writing.
The action sequences, shot by Belgrade-based cinematographer Djordje Stojiljkovic, are staged with appealing gusto and the special effects, if not exactly consistent, are high enough not to detract from the film’s overall impact.
The most remarkable and impressive aspect Kalki 2898 AD Production design by Nitin Jihani Chowdhury, who pulls out the stops. The film creates incredibly stunning spaces, settings and backdrops that enhance the depth and dimension of the film admirably.
The story is set in Kashi, the world’s last surviving city standing in the middle of a desert. It’s led by a shriveled, shriveled tyrant whose scientists are working on his behalf to create a serum that can revive him for the tomb confrontation that lies ahead – and is beyond the scope of this film.
Among its main plot points Kalki 2898 AD A huge metal bow that no common man can touch (let alone lift), a man condemned to immortality (Amitabh Bachchan) and a mother (Deepika Padukone) with an unborn child are the main points of contention between Kashi and it. Sambhala, where a revolt against Sugriva Yaskin (Kamal Haasan) and his demotion begins.
Rebels from Sambhala – the mythical place where Lord Vishnu’s final incarnation, Kalki, is prophesied to take birth and deliver humanity from its misery – are determined to take the expectant mother – the epitome of a miracle – to safety. Their mission is anything but simple.
The three-hour dystopian sci-fi good-versus-evil epic sets the stage for a proposed cinematic universe that marries chapters from the Mahabharata with elements borrowed from Mad Max, the Marvel Universe and early 1990s PD James novels. The Children of Men (which was adapted for the screen by Alfonso Cuarón in 2006).
The free-wheeling fantasy revolves around Bhairav, a benevolent hunter and warrior who has never tasted defeat. He works with a robotic droid to capture fugitives and dissidents and deliver them to ‘The Complex’, the nerve center of an evil empire run by the reclusive Yaskin.
Protected by an army led by Commander Manas (Saswata Chatterjee), the city houses a laboratory where selected young women are used as guinea pigs for fertility tests. It is from here that SUM-80 (Deepika Padukone) – one of the Sambhala rebels, Kaira (Anna Benn), decides to call her Sumathi – escapes. He finds help from unexpected quarters.
The Hindi version of the film is interspersed with a lot of English that sounds more contemporary than futuristic. The casual verbal exchanges between Bhairav and his chirping droid are more banter than conversation. They are intended to provide comic relief. Continuity is not this passage’s strong suit.
A big action block – this is part of the protagonist’s entry scene – goes on for too long and begins to test the audience’s patience. But when the film flags, the editing (Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao) seeks to speed things up a bit by cutting to a completely different location and context. It only works sporadically.
On the acting front, Prabhas leads the way and not just because the film revolves around him. His strong presence serves as a counterpoint to Amitabh Bachchan’s towering Ashwathama – the deathless warrior is an eight-footer. The latter’s voice is, as always, an integral part of the character.
Deepika Padukone, playing a central figure, is superb as a pregnant woman on the run. Shashwata Chatterjee, as a bad guy who shoots lethal laser beams from his fists, has his moments in a film that often overshadows everything else it conveys about mankind and the dangers it faces because of its own unsavory ways. Trying
Kalki 2898 AD An ambitious future franchise needs that firepower and it uses it quite well. So, for all its faults, it never gets out of control.
