Kalki 2898 AD Lacks Originality, but is Packed with Entertainment

When the Indian film industry brings out the most expensive movie in the decade with a stellar cast it’s worth checking out at least once (if only to watch it bomb). The early trailers of Kalki 2898 AD promised something different in Indian Cinema and I was here for it. And can you ask for bigger names than Kamal Hasan, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Prabhas in one frame?

Also, Telugu blockbuster cinema has been on a bit of a lucky streak with one super hit after another, each wilder than the next. If nothing else, one is assured of a spectacle. I haven’t forgotten the beasts being unleashed on the party guests in RRR.

So, popcorn in hand, I seated myself comfortably at the neighborhood AMC theater. The main premise of Kalki 2898 AD is based on the multi-religion myth of the ‘second coming’; a time on earth when evil has so surpassed all limits that God must appear to save humanity from itself.

In the movie, the clock for god’s descent on earth starts at the end of the bloody battle of Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna curses warrior Ashwatthama (Amitabh Bachchan) to roam the earth in penance for eternity for his crimes during the war. An opening montage reminds us of the familiar horrors that humans have self-inflicted in recent centuries. The future is no different in 2898 AD, most of the planet is inhabitable and the average person barely scrapes by. The ruling class literally hovers above the earth in a gravity-defying city and is led by the Supreme Leader Yaskin whose only aim appears to be keeping the status quo. Rebellion is simmering and hope is laid at the door of the legend that the time has come for divine intervention.

Rooting the plot in Indian Mythology gives enough context to hook the familiar viewer — mostly the Indian audience. Having prior knowledge of the epic of Mahabharata adds weight to the somewhat slim storyline. As a viewer, you already know what to expect but are not sure how the movie will wow you. That itself builds anticipation. On the flip side, this would get lost in the Western audience and some of the ‘wow’ factor might be lost.

The world-building is adequate if not original. The filmmakers have sensibly kept it simple by having a main civilian city, one rebellion stronghold, and one evil empire den. This limits the world-building and puts the CGI budget to good use (mostly).

Kashi has Star Wars meets Bladerunner’s futuristic vibes of a global, dystopian city. Shambhala, the rebellion city is set somewhere in the Himalayan kingdoms of Bhutan/Tibet, so culture appropriation or maybe diversity (you pick)? The people of Shambhala don’t have much to do but be fodder for the guns of the evil empire. They provide for some insanely cool fighting sequences towards the climactic end. Speaking of the evil empire, the Complex is part paradise and part prison for fertile women. The main purpose of the evil empire is to concentrate power and keep the majority under its feet.

The start is a little cringe and highly derivative — I was often distracted by what other movies I was reminded of in the early thirty minutes. The editing is sometimes choppy and can create a bit of whiplash. Sometimes tragic, dystopian scenes transition to slapstick comedy taking away any gravitas from the plot. Some jokes may have been lost in the Hindi translation.

To keep you distracted from the plot holes, Prabhas delivers an excellent performance as the mercenary bounty hunter with his electronic sidekick. The jokes need some warming to but go from cringe to funny soon enough.

Kamal Hassan’s CGI avatar brings the right amount of creep into the Supreme Yaskin role. I am curious to see what the motivations are for this evil dark lord in the next part.

Speaking of sequels, I hope we spend time on character building, moving away from the slight YA level of surprises to some real questions on power and rebellion. The plot is lazy at best and assumes the audience knows how-these-stories-go and what-else-is-there-to-say, without any effort to address the context or the roots of the dystopian world.

One thing I found frustrating was the lack of interesting female characters. Anna Ben stands out as Kyra, a perky, kickass rebel fighter who should have been given more screen time. While Deepika Padukone is expressive in her completely damsel-in-distress role, I wish she had more to do. I hope once the baby delivers (in both worlds), she can free herself from the shackles of the Virgin Mother persona and do something else.

Yes, It’s Not Entirely original.

There is no denying that Kalki 2898 AD is everything everywhere all at once. I don’t want to spoil the fun, but see if you can find a reference to one or all of the following:

Harry Potter, Black Panther, Mad Max, Dune, Star Wars, Elysium, The Handmaid’s Tale, Knight Rider, Bladerunner….and what else? Maybe you can tell me what other copy-paste inspiration I might have missed.

And Yes, I Still recommend it

In terms of cinematic achievement, Kalki 2898 AD scores full marks for what it does in Indian Cinema. The story can use some work but to be honest CGI heavy movies with sparse plots are rarer than not. This movie is surely no Dune talking about the pitfalls of believing in a savior or the inherent evils of imperialism like Star Wars. If the writers were striving for a bigger message, they failed.

What Kalki 2898 AD manages to be is a whole lot of fun with enough intrigue in the plot to keep the viewer hooked. It delivers stunning visuals, well-choreographed action scenes, good pacing with minimum song/dance, and a sincere attempt at something different. Where the script fails, the vast and diverse cast elevates the experience. Special call out to the CGI team, who more than came through on the superlative if derivative world-building.

I wasn’t bored even once in the almost 3 hr. runtime. I am curious to see what the Kalki Cinematic Universe brings next.

Indian Cinema