‘Kalki 2898 AD’ Review: Superb VFX, Amitabh’s strong acting, but the film fails in the story

The audience was eagerly waiting for ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ which was released on around 8500 screens worldwide. The advance booking of this film made in five languages ​​like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi has crossed the figure of 55 crores. This is the reason why whether it is the 5:30 am show in Hyderabad or the 8 am show in Mumbai, a good crowd of audience was seen. This grand budget and ambitious film of the famous South director Nag Ashwin has a fair of big actors including Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan. There is no doubt that this unique confluence of science and mythology is no less than a visual wonder for the audience, but I wish that the story had also been worked on in the same way as it was done on VFX and CGI. If this had happened, then undoubtedly it would have proved to be an icing on the cake.

Story of ‘Kalki 2898 AD’

The story revolves around the modern incarnation of Lord Vishnu who is to descend to save the world from evil. The events begin after the Mahabharata war where Lord Krishna cursed Dronacharya’s son Ashwatthama with immortality. Taking this mythological seed, the story takes on the world of fantasy. There is a popular legend about the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, in which it is prophesied that the incarnation will come riding a white horse and mark the end of Kali Yuga.

Taking this premise forward, the story travels to a city called Kashi where the ruthless and evil Commander (Saswat Chatterjee) is the uncrowned king of the complex. he/she works for the Supreme (Kamal Hassan), the owner of this elusive complex. The complex is a powerhouse adorned with modern and natural technology and luxury, where entry of the rebels and poor of Shambhala is forbidden. The Supreme of the complex is conducting experiments on women who are fertile to become mothers, in order to increase his/her chaotic divine powers. In this experiment, pregnant women are killed and the search is on to extract from their wombs the substance that can make the Supreme powerful. Men do slavery here. On the other hand, the people of Shambhala hope that one day a mother will arrive in their world, whose child will come in the form of an avatar and end all their sorrows and troubles and bring new light of new life for them.

Meanwhile, in the complex, Sumati (Deepika Padukone) miraculously manages to hide her pregnancy for five months. In fact, the much-awaited avatar is growing in Sumati’s womb. Sumati somehow manages to escape from Supreme’s clutches, but bounty hunter Bhairava (Prabhas) wants to capture Sumati and hand her over to the Commander so that he/she can get entry into the complex’s luxurious world. But then Ashwatthama (Amitabh Bachchan) arrives from the mythological era to protect Sumati.

Watch here- Hindi trailer of ‘Kalki 2898’

‘Kalki 2898 AD’ Movie Review

Director Nag Ashwin’s storytelling is a web of many tracks and sub-tracks that creates confusion. In the first half of the film, he/she takes time to establish the prevalent backstory and various characters. In the second half, the fierce protector form of the superhero takes the pace of the story forward. But there is no doubt that the world of the complex and Shambhala that Nag Ashwin creates makes you bite your fingers in surprise.

The technology of this imaginary universe, the costumes of the people and the production design provide an experience you have never seen in Bollywood. The VFX of the film is not inferior to any Hollywood scientific-fiction, rather it has become the best. But the problem is in the story, in the crowd of characters, whose justification is not understood in the first part.

Whether it is the high octane action sequences of Ashwatthama and Bhairava or the clash between the complex and Shambhala’s forces, everything is amazing. Disha Patani as Roxy is shown as Bhairava’s love interest, but there is no further development of her character. The music of such a grand film could have been made more melodious.

Cinematographer Djordje Stojiljikovic has done a commendable job. However, many questions remain unanswered. Perhaps also because the director hints at a sequel. However, Nag Ashwin deserves praise for the way he/she has developed the mythology through visuals generated with modern cinema techniques. The film fails to connect emotionally, but the bonding between Bhairava and Bujji entertains to a great extent.

Talking about acting and getup, megastar Amitabh Bachchan once again proves why he/she is called the Big B of the industry. he/she has brought life into the role of Ashwatthama. his/her agility and strength is clearly visible in the action scenes. he/she is the main attraction of the film. Prabhas’ fans will definitely complain as to why he/she has got less screen space as Bhairava. Here Prabhas has presented amazing action along with comedy, in which he/she does not look good in comedy, but yes, when he/she transforms into Karna, he/she manages to make an impact. Deepika Padukone has given a restrained performance as Sumati.

Disha Patni’s character as Roxy has been removed. There were a lot of expectations from Kamal Haasan’s presence in the trailer, but he/she appears in his/her real form in the last scene. However, he/she has registered his/her presence strongly. Shobhana is good as Maryam of Shambhala. Anil George is memorable in the role of the commander. Otherwise, Mrinal Thakur, Dulquer Salman, Vijay Deverakonda, Ram Gopal Varma and SS Rajamouli increase the curiosity by appearing in just a few scenes. It is possible that these characters may be expanded in the second part of this film.

Why watch: This film is worth watching for its visual treat and Amitabh Bachchan’s acting.