Interviews

SDCC 2023: Prabhas, Kamal Haasan, and Nag Ashwin Explore the Fusion of Mythology and Sci-Fi in Kalki 2898 AD

August 25, 2023

2 mins read

SDCC 2023: Prabhas, Kamal Haasan & Nag Ashwin On Melding Mythology And Sci-Fi In Kalki 2898 AD

Summary

Kalki 2898 AD is an upcoming sci-fi epic film from India, directed by Nag Ashwin, with a star-studded cast including Prabhas and Kamal Haasan.
The film aims to blend Indian mythology with sci-fi elements, creating a unique and ambitious storyline.
The cast and director discuss the movie’s themes and their excitement about bringing Indian cinema to a global audience.

Kalki 2898 AD is an upcoming sci-fi epic slated for release in India next year. Though no release date has been given yet for other countries, the film is poised to be the next in a line of Tollywood films that find mainstream success with global audiences, following in the steps of movies like RRR. Kalki 2898 AD stars Prabhas of Baahubali: The Beginning fame and long-time actor Kamal Haasan, whose prolific cinema career began over five decades ago.

Originally known as Project K, the first trailer for Kalki 2898 AD recently premiered at SDCC, revealing its title and a small amount of plot details. The upcoming film is directed by Nag Ashwin, known for the critically-acclaimed Mahanati, and surpasses RRR as the largest budget for any Indian movie. The ambitious story aims to remain true to Indian mythology while incorporating sci-fi elements that have not been seen in Indian movies yet.

FilmmakerFocus sat down with Prabhas, Nag Ashwin, and Kamal Haasan to discuss the major themes of the movie, behind-the-scenes moments, and how Kalki 2898 AD differs from past projects the group has worked on.

Cast & Director Talk Kalki 2898 AD

FilmmakerFocus: I am here with the cast and director of Project K, which now has the official title of Kalki 2898 AD. Nag, it’s so nice to meet you. How would you describe this futuristic world infused with mythology?

Nag Ashwin: How would I describe it? It’s Indian. That’s probably what I would like to describe it as. It’s first and foremost Indian, and obviously has influences of everything else — books, and comics, and movies that we all like from the west. But at the core, I think, Indian.

I love that. And for you, Prabhas, what drew you to the work? You’ve done so much already in so many different genres including action, but this is almost never seen before.

Prabhas: In India, we’ve done less sci-fi movies till now, but Nag Ashwin is very strong with emotions. Also, this is Indian mythology meets sci-fi, I felt it’s very interesting the way he designed the movie, and the biggest star cast we have in the movie. It’s very interesting. I got really excited when Nag Ashwin told me Kamal Hasaan said okay for the film. So, it’s the director with the star cast and the way he had written the script.

Kamal, you have a long and storied history in cinema already, but how do you approach this character? What makes it different from your past works?

Kamal Haasan: The vision of the director and, as he said. It’s an hourglass turned the way you want, that sign particle that runs in between. So, it’s very interesting to be in a film like this, I’ve never done a film like this, which is a lot to say, because I’ve done about 230 odd films.

Nag Ashwin: That’s what I was going to say. [Chuckles]

Prabhas: Yeah, he’s a director, producer.

Nag Ashwin: Action director. He started off as a dance director.

Kamal Haasan: But I haven’t done a movie [like this]. The reason why is it’s not enough if you have the vision, you must have the budget, he seems to have both. [Chuckles]

Nag Ashwin: Shout out. Shout out to [my producers] for taking a big, big leap of faith with me.

Deepika is not here with us, but I have loved her since Om Shanti Om, so I’m very excited to see her in this film. Can you tell me, Nag, about casting her and what makes her perfect for this story?

Nag Ashwin: We still have to see Deepika’s character fully, and then we will probably understand the reason why we cast her. Because it is an important character.

What was it like working on set with her, Prabhas?

Prabhas: She’s the biggest superstar, the most beautiful lady, and she’s already famous globally. I think she’s doing Louis Vuitton, TAM AdEX, and the biggest international commercials. So, she’s just vibrant when she comes into the set, and I always loved her. I wanted to work with her, this is the first time I’m working with her, so yeah.

With the many hats you have worn in the industry, Kamal, do you feel like that helps you both as an actor and as a co-star, bringing together the set and helping the other actors kind of understand their role in the story?

Kamal Haasan: As I keep saying often, I’m a film buff. Any part of making a film, I’m a willing accomplice, so I started off as a dance assistant, assistant director. Even now, I don’t shy away from any of those positions. If it is needed, I’ll take up that position. So it’s like Horatio’s Bridge when it comes to your shoulders, you’ll have to save that bridge, and that’s what this battle is all about.

Nag, I love that you described this story as being Indian, but at the same time, it’s opening the door to global audiences in a way that not as many Indian films have in the past. What would you say that someone coming in totally blind who’s an uncultured swine would need to know if they’re going to watch?

Nag Ashwin: I would say hopefully not much, because that’s the way we try to write it — at least the way I try to write it — is it’s sort of self-explanatory in the thing. There might be some mythological references that are maybe ultra-specific if you don’t already know them, but even so, we would’ve built it up in the film that even if you don’t — like Indians watching Thor, right? About Vikings or whatever, we don’t know anything of that, but we get it.

Prabhas, you’ve often been described as a hero of Telugu cinema, and you do push boundaries with your work. Does that add pressure, and how much pressure are you feeling with this film in particular?

Prabhas: It’s a lot of pressure. It’s very exciting when someone says, like probably when we started, “It’s [my] first Indian film,” there are different boundaries we wanted to cross. Before, it was very tough, we don’t know what would the audience say. What would they like? Now, we come here to Comic-Con San Diego, and it’s like, again, we are trying to get our film to the world, so it’s very exciting, but it’s super stressful. Will they like it? How much will they like it?

Nag Ashwin: It’s new, for sure, because for us, we know the movie’s releasing, we’ll start promoting it a month before. So, It’s all around that one-month timeline, we are so ahead. Maybe that’s how Hollywood does it, and we’re so ahead of the release, for us, it’s all a strange thing. We still have a bit of shooting left.

Kamal, what has been your favorite experience so far here at Comic-Con? Either at the panel itself or wandering the streets of San Diego?

Kamal Haasan: It was eye-opening that the audience around the world, whatever culture they belong to, whatever the color they are, behave exactly the same manner, which is very heartening and it’s like a tourist guide to another world.

About Kalki 2898 AD

A character from Kalki 2898 AD using technology

A modern-day avatar of Vishnu, a Hindu god, is believed to have descended to earth to protect the world from evil forces.

Kalki 2898 AD is set to be released in 2024.

Violet Granger

Violet, a film enthusiast from New Orleans, draws inspiration from the city's vibrant and eclectic arts scene. Having studied English and Film at Tulane University, her articles often delve into the connections between literature and film, analyzing adaptations and the impact of storytelling techniques.