Kalki 2898 AD Review

In the dystopian world of Kalki 2898 AD, earth is barren and polluted. The elites have taken refuge in Complex, a hovering pyramidal structure governed by the aging autocrat Supreme Yaksin (Kamal Haasan). Meanwhile, the poor people eke out a desperate existence in Kashi, the last surviving city, now reduced to a shantytown overrun by bounty hunters who collect fertile girls and sell them to the Complex. Among them is Bhairava (Prabhas), an infamous bounty hunter who partners with an AI entity named Bujji (Keerthy Suresh) to gather "units" - the currency of this world - and secure entry into Complex's idyllic realms.

It is hard to ignore the echoes of Hollywood's dystopian sci-fi classics reveberating throughout Kalki. From the protagonist's role as a bounty hunter with a sleek vehicle reminiscent of Blade Runner, to the Complex megalith being evocative of Elysium. There are shades of Mad Max in the harrowing pursuit of a pregnant woman fleeing from the Complex, and subtle nods to Dune in the portrayal of Supreme Yaksin, an levitating old man sustained by a web of tubes.

Yet, Nag Ashwin claws out just enough space to make Kalki Indian, drawing from Hindu mythology's apocalyptic themes surrounding the prophecy of Kalki, Vishnu's final avatar. Take the character of Ashwatthama, which is picked from the Mahabharata, and extends into this dystopic future with dazzling conviction. Ashwatthama towers at seven feet, wields a cane, and wears a brilliant diadem on his forehead. He is Kalki's most striking character. Then there is a tantalizing glimpse of Shambala, a hidden mountainside refuge, the base of Rebels, and the bastion of the world's culture and religion, overseen by Mariam (Shobana).

However, Kalki occasionally stumbles in its attempt to balance these influences. The narrative doesn't quite know how to square off its two key characters - Ashwatthama and Bhairava. And ultimately it throws up into not one, not two, but three interminably long sequences of cat-and-mouse fights between them. The narrative fails even more miserably with Deepika Padukone's character, SUM-80, dubbed Sumathi by those who rescue her from captivity at the Complex. We root for her not because she is ostensibly the central figure of the story - which she is - but because she is a helpless, confused pregnant lady.

Kalki's world building is unprecedented in Indian cinema, a testament to the film's ambitious scope. The painstaking design efforts are visible in the costumes, and in the innumerable vehicles, weaponry and other doodads designed specifically for the film. (Lest we forget, Adipurush showed us that an unlimited budget is no guarantee of good aesthetics.) And while Kalki's maximalist design can sometimes border on the flamboyant, and sometimes looks unfinished and muddy as in its Mahabharata sequences, it remains an overall visual achievement for the industry. Santhosh Narayanan's background score, though occasionally cacophonous and pompous, underscores the film's grandeur and ambition.

For all the rich texture of the aesthetics spectacle, it is the flat, humourless characters, and the stultified dialogue that fail to connect. Even as it strives for immersion, the film punctuates its narrative with overt nods to its stars and cameo appearances that break the fourth wall. Take Bhairava's entry scene, a minutes-long sequence establishing him as a charming, loveable but skillful bounty hunter. It ends with a comment from Bujji that panders to the star's die-hard fans.

Such self-indulgent interludes occur often and take us out of the immersive experience, but at least they are delightful to those in on the joke. The same can't be said for the atrocious dubbing of some non-Telugu actors which yank us out of the film in the most unpleasant ways. It is particularly painful to listen to Saswatha Chatterjee, who plays a Commander in Yaksin's regime, stumble over his Telugu words as if he were reading the names of dishes off a menu card.

Kalki's character development is sparse, but Prabhas brings vibrancy to Bhairava, injecting mischief and delivering some of the film's most joyful moments. Keerthi Suresh's voicing of the droid Bujji is somewhat childlike in its tone and does not always sound cynical enough to play off against Bhairavi's self-importance as his sidekick. Ultimately, though, it is the image of Amitabh Bachchan, in the guise of the severe, seven-foot Ashwatthama, that is burned into your retina.

Kalki 2898 AD arguably pushes the boundaries of the "pan-India film" label to its farthest extent. But it many ways, Nag's ambitious project, and the most expensive Indian film made yet, wants to be seen as not just pan-Indian, but trans-India. That is, to look beyond India and position itself alongside its Hollywood sci-fi counterparts as a cinematic universe to be reckoned with. And while it excels in technical aspects, its narrative lacks the depth and expansiveness necessary to fully immerse us in its world.