Amitabh Bachchan praises Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD for its great mix of entertaining scenes and creative, immersive world building.
Amitabh Bachchan seemed captivated by Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD. In the film, Bachchan played the role of immortal character Ashwatthama. Despite his enthusiasm, the movie has faced criticism for its lengthy runtime, with particular attention given to Prabhas’ crowd-pleasing introductory sequence in the first half, which some feel detracts from the overall pacing of the film.
The official YouTube channel of Vyjayanthi Movies, the production house behind Kalki 2898 AD, recently posted episode 2 of The Kalki Chronicles. It featured a conversation between Amitabh Bachchan and director Nag Ashwin. In this episode, Amitabh defended Prabhas’ introductory scenes, addressing the criticism surrounding them. He emphasizes the importance of these scenes in setting up Prabhas’ character and connecting with the audience, showcasing his belief in the creative choices made for the film.
“There are many portions, which I felt as somebody who’s been in the film industry can understand, that you’re playing to the gallery. This is Prabhas, this is a Telugu film. And Prabhas is Telugu. You’ve to understand that he’s massive, he’s God-like. There were many in the audience who felt in the first half, maybe because of the length, they thought, ‘Let’s go on with the story.’ The fact is it’s an intro of the hero of the film, but not just the hero of the film, but the hero of the Telugu-speaking nation. And that is something the people overlooked. But we have to give it to them,” Amitabh stated. He also added that he feels Kalki 2898 AD is a ‘perfect amalgamation’ of appealing to the audience while advancing the storyline.
“It’s a very thin line. There’s a sequence in his introduction, which a new audience from Paris would not get. There’s a hologram that glitches right next to Prabhas and says ‘Rebel Star’ for an instant. That’s a clap trap. For someone on the outside, it doesn’t make a difference. There’s also a bit when Bhairava (Prabhas’ character) says I have fans, and Buji says, ‘Ya, ya I know, Rebel fans.’ And it doesn’t make a difference for someone outside. Because we’ve established he’s a rebel,” Nag told Amitabh in the episode.
