Will Kalki 2898 AD be India's Star Wars? Director Nag Ashwin answers

Nag Ashwin is currently gearing up for the release of his film Kalki 2898AD. The film is a scientific fiction that boasts an ensemble star cast including Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Disha Patani, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan. The movie is in the works and is expected to hit the big screens in 2024. Ahead of the film’s release, director Nag Ashwin has shared little details about the project.

Nag Ashwin clarifies Kalki 2898 AD is not Star Wars 

Nag Ashwin and the team of Kalki 2898 AD have kept their silence on the film. However, without divulging much information, the filmmaker who recently attended an event at IIT Bombay, spoke about the upcoming film in brief. As some students drew comparisons between the movie and the famous Hollywood franchise Star Wars, the filmmaker straightforwardly denied it.  

When someone asked the filmmaker, “Will the film be India’s Star Wars? Are you planning to build an entire universe around it?”, he replied, “I don’t think so…this will be India’s K. It’s India's Project K, India's Kalki. It's one film and I think that’s enough.” 

Nag Ashwin shares weapons in Kalki 2898 AD are custom built 

The Kalki 2898 AD teaser was released earlier this year and it garnered a lot of attention from fans. Audiences lauded the teaser and appreciated the VFX, use of graphics and props. Amid the riding intrigue, Nag Ashwin clarified that all props and weapons used in the film are custom-made. 

The director mentioned that they had no help with the props and everything was made from scratch. He said, “We did not have a reference point, so it was all about trial and error for us when it came to all the props.” He added that the feedback received by the teaser is kept in mind and they have altered some scenes in the final film. He added, “We built the weapons from scratch instead of renting an available gun prop, slapping on two lights and calling it a laser gun. We also did a lot of VFX to help them come to life. However, we have taken feedback into account and they will look much better in the film than in the teaser.” 

More about Kalki 2898 AD

The film was announced under the working title Project K in February 2020 coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Vyjayanthi Movies. However, the production was delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Filming began in July 2021 in a futuristic set at Ramoji Film City, in Hyderabad. The San Diego Comic-Con was attended physically by Kamal Haasan, Prabhas and Rana Daggubati. Big B joined the panel via a Zoom video call. In the event, it was announced that the film, which was earlier titled Project K, has been titled Kalki 2898 AD. Kalki 2898 AD also feature in the sci-fi film. Produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, the film is scheduled to release on January 12, 2024.

(With inouts from IANS)