Kalki 2898 AD movie is an upcoming Bollywood epic science fiction film writer and director is Nag Ashwin while the producer is C. Aswani Dutt under the Production company of Vyjayanthi Movies.
This film’s leading stars cast are Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, and Disha Patani.
The movie’s release was announced in February 2020 in conjunction with Vyjayanthi Movies’ 50th anniversary under the working title Project K. However, the COVID lockdown caused a year-long shooting delay. On a futuristic set at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, shooting commenced in July 2021. Telugu and Hindi version were used for the same shooting.
The production cost of the Kalki 2898 AD movie, which cost 600 crore INR (US$75 million), makes it the highest-budget Indian film ever made. Santhosh Narayanan is the Music Director for the movie while Djordje Stojiljkovic is the Cinematographer, and Nitin Zihani Choudhary did the production design.
The movie Kalki 2898 AD movie is planned for release in theaters on 12th January 2024.
Cast and Crew of Kalki 2898 AD
- Director: Nag Ashwin
- Writer: Nag Ashwin
- Dialogues: Sai Madhav Burra
- Producer: C. Aswani Dutt
- Starring: Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan
- Cinematography: Djordje Stojiljkovic
- Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
- Music Composer: Santhosh Narayanan
- Production company: Vyjayanthi Movies
- Genres: Action, Drama, Fantasy
- Release date: 12 January 2024
- Country: India
- Languages: Telugu, Hindi
- Budget: 600 crore INR
Kalki 2898 AD Trailer (Glimpse)
Star Cast
- Amitabh Bachchan
- Deepika Padukone
- Prabhas
- Disha Patani
- Kamal Haasan
- Ram Gopal Varma as a Cameo
- S.S. Rajamouli as a Cameo
- Rana Daggubati
- Saswata Chatterjee
- Chandu Kanuri as a Sundar
- Pasupathy
- Sougata Ghosh
- Himanshu Jaykar
- Gaurav Chopra
- Kamal Sadanah
- Vikky Kumar as a special Apreance
- Md. Nadim Mostofa Jibon as a Scientist
- Mandava Sai Kumar as an Agent
- Pradum Shukla
- Pradum Jaykar
Production
Development
Director Nag Ashwin announced in August 2019 that he has been working on an original plot and screenplay for a while and that it would shortly begin production. Nag Ashwin is famous for the 2018 biographical drama movie Mahanati. In the same time, Production company Vyjayanthi Movies announced their intention to start production on Nag Ashwin’s movie in September of 2019 and also give an invitation to writers, designers, and visual artists.
The official news that Prabhas would act in Ashwin’s forthcoming film was made by Vyjayanthi Movies in February 2020. It is meant to commemorate 50 years since the founding of their studio.
Casting
Deepika Padukone, a leading actress in Bollywood films, was cast with Prabhas in the lead role in July 2020. Director Ashwin, stated that her character would be “surprised” because it was something special that “no actress lead has ever done before,” Deepika Padukone said that “beyond thrilled” she was to be working on the movie. Padukone makes her Telugu movie industry debut with this film. According to Bollywood Hungama, her role was initially “not substantial” but was later enhanced to reflect her prominence.
Amitabh Bachchan was given a full-length role in the movie in October. According to Ashwin, his part was “so important that his character’s name was the working title of an early draft”.
The film will be Amitabh Bachchan’s first film as a full-length Telugu appearance, following his former guest performances in Manam (2014) and Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019).
After Loafer (2015) movie, Disha Patani work again to Telugu movie industry when she joined the cast in May 2022. Kamal Haasan returned to Telugu and Hindi films in June 2023 when he joined the cast.
Pre-production
Although “Project K” was only used as a working title, the movie was known by that name. According to Ashwin, the movie required the development of future vehicles and cutting-edge technology. Despite the fact that they can be recreated using computer-generated imagery (CGI), Ashwin decided to build these automobiles from the ground up with a dedicated team of engineers because he wanted them to appear “authentic and genuine”. Ashwin asked for technical assistance from billionaire Anand Mahindra to construct this kind of vehicle in March 2022.
A few days later, Mahindra replied that the Chennai-based campus of their business Mahindra & Mahindra would support the production team. The producers built a futuristic set in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad in July 2021, where a large amount of shooting is anticipated to take place.
A. R. Rahman was initially contacted to write the music for the movie in August 2020. Rahman declined to join the movie, and Ashwin kept the same crew from Mahanati (2018), including the director of photography Dani Sanchez-Lopez, and composer Mickey J. Meyer. Dani Sanchez-Lopez, however, was eventually replaced as the movie’s official cinematographer by Serbian photographer Djordje Stojiljkovic. Meyer was replaced as the composer in February 2023, according to Dutt, and a female Bollywood composer also created a song for the movie. To act as a mentor, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao joined the initiative.
The anticipated budget for Kalki 2898 AD is 600 crore INR (US$75 million), which would make it the most costly Indian movie ever made.
Film Shooting
The movie’s regular shoot was initially scheduled to start in November 2020. But because of the COVID lockdown, it was delayed until the next year. Following a muhurat filmed with Bachchan, the main shooting began in Hyderabad in July 2021 on the festival of Guru Purnima. In December 2021, Prabhas and Deepika joined the shooting, and scenes starring Bachchan, Prabhas, and Padukone shooting completed. The shoot’s second schedule happened in February 2022.
The team divided into the 80–90 days of shooting the movie into 7-8 days each month rather than doing all shooting at once. This would give the production unit time to collect necessory equipment and items required for this science fiction big budget film. As a result, it is anticipated that the film’s production will take longer than usual. The movie is the first in India that uses this technology because it was shot on a DIY Arri Alexa 65 camera.
Prabhas was scheduled to begin shooting his solo parts in April 2022, however, his upcoming projects, such as Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD, have been delayed as a result of his knee surgery. In Ramoji Film City, 90% of the shoot is being completed. Amitabh is shooting a scene at the Raidurg metro station in June. Padukone and Prabhas filmed in Hyderabad in July for a car chase scene. By the end of this schedule, Prabhas has shot the majority of his scenes.
The movie was scheduled to wrap up its main shooting by January 2023, after which post-production and visual effects work would take about 8 months. However, when Bachchan hurt his ribs and needed rest in Mumbai in March 2023, the movie was still being filmed. By June 2023, almost 70% of the shooting had been finished.
Marketing
The first trailer for the movie was unveiled on July 19, 2023. After receiving harsh feedback, its creators later removed it from social media accounts and re-uploaded it with some tweaks, which also drew criticism. The movie’s new title was formally revealed at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con, when the teaser trailer also had its debut. At the occasion, Nag Ashwin, Prabhas, Kamal Haasan, and C. Aswani Dutt were in attendance.
Release
The cinematic premiere of Kalki 2898 AD is set for January 12, 2024. Its release was originally scheduled for 2022, but it was postponed because of production issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. Producer Dutt announced in July 2022 that they intended to premiere the movie in January 2024.
The Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and English versions of the movie are scheduled for release.
References
Kalki 2898 AD. (2023, October 2). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalki_2898_AD
