Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
| Movie | : | Kalki 2898 AD |
| Director | : | Nag Ashwin |
| Starring | : | Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Rajendra Prasad, Disha Patani, Saswata Chatterjee, Brahmanandam , And More |
| Genres | : | Action, Sci-Fi , Mythology |
| Editing | : | Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao |
| Rating | : | 8.4/10 |
| Release Date | : | 27 June 2024 |
Synopsis
"Kalki 2898 AD" revolves around the dystopian landscape of the world’s last city, Kashi, where Supreme Yaskin is the king. He establishes a fertility lab to revive the city. Among the many women tested, he is surprised to see Sumathi. Who is Sumathi, and why does Yaskin want her at any cost?
Kalki 2898 AD 2024 Tamil Movie: Critique
Plus Points (+)
After a long time, a movie has come to the cinema that grabs the audience's attention through its story and VFX. Nag Ashwin Reddy, famous for "Pitta Kathalu" and "Jathi Ratnalu," now comes with an action, thriller, and sci-fi movie that looks like a superhero movie from Marvel.
The movie starts with the story of the Kurukshetra battle, where Ashwatthama was cursed by Lord Krishna to live forever with a gaping wound on his forehead. The first half has a slow pace and mixes drama, mythology, and sci-fi technology. The second half is more interesting for major audiences who like action, thrillers, and suspense.
Several superstars appear in cameo roles, including SS Rajamouli, Ram Gopal Varma, Anudeep, Mrunal Thakur, and Dulquer Salmaan, who deliver wonderful performances. Vijay Deverakonda appears as Arjun, and his body language and facial expressions remind viewers of the movie "Arjun: The Warrior Prince" (2012).
Prabhas, famous for "Baahubali" and "Salaar," plays the lead role as Bhairava, a ruthless bounty hunter. His performance is outstanding. In the first half, his role is limited, but in the second half, he steals the show with his action scenes.
Amitabh Bachchan plays the role of Ashwatthama, who is still waiting for Lord Vishnu's Kalki avatar. He seems born for this role. The biggest strength of "Kalki 2898 AD" is Amitabh Bachchan's character because Prabhas and the other cast play fictional characters, but only Amitabh Bachchan plays a real character, adding suspense to the film. His body language and how he saves Sumathi from Yaskin are wonderful, while his dialogue delivery makes the movie more interesting for the public.
Deepika Padukone, who has never been seen in the Telugu film industry before, appears in the lead cast and plays the role of Sumathi (SUM-80). She becomes the center of attention in the second half. In the first half, she appears a decent amount of time on screen, showing how she escapes from Yaskin's kingdom. But in the second half, she spreads her magic and holds a secret in her womb.
Kamal Haasan, who plays Yaskin, surprises the audience with his solid and scary dialogues and fierce expressions. His screen time is limited, but he grabs the audience's attention with his personality, showing he wants Sumathi (SUM-80) at any cost.
Minus Points (-)
The first half of the film is slow-paced and not as engaging compared to the second half. The screenplay is flat, with futuristic technology but lacking emotional depth. If the makers removed some dramatic scenes and songs, it would be better for the film.
The scenes between Prabhas and Disha Patani as Roxy lack engagement, and the song set in the Complex feels unnecessary.
It looks like the movie has many heroes and heroines, but the truth is the whole movie depends on Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Kamal Haasan, and Deepika Padukone.
Technical Aspects
Nag Ashwin, who doesn't have much experience with big movies, still performs well in box-office collections, not just because he cast top superstars, but also because of the movie's story and Djordje Stojiljkovic’s camera skills.
Nag Ashwin is one of those directors who has the ambition to make movies like Hollywood. Overall, if we summarize Nag Ashwin's movie in one line, "Kalki 2898 AD" is a mixture of mythology and science fiction.
We can't imagine "Kalki 2898 AD" without Djordje Stojiljkovic because this movie is heavily dependent on VFX and other camera skills. When we think about the best cinematographer in the Telugu film industry, Djordje Stojiljkovic's name comes to mind because his camera skills make Indian movies like Hollywood and Marvel Cinematic Universe productions. We saw some futuristic vehicles in the movie, reminding us of "Mad Max: Fury Road." The editing was done by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.
Conclusion
"Kalki 2898 AD" is a mixture of Indian mythology and science fiction. The first half is slow-paced and lacks emotional depth, while the second half combines action, thrillers, and suspense, with Santhosh Narayanan's background music playing an important role.
