#Nag Ashwin

[celestesinsight]

Kalki 2898AD Release Trailer - Bhairava Character Analysis!

There are many theories circulating about Bhairava's character and its importance in the movie. Here's my two cents regarding this. And to be honest, it isn't entirely my views too. It's what we came up when discussing in the Varadeva Discord Server.

First of all, there's a huge chance that Deepika's baby is red herring and Bhairava is the real Kalki. Ashwathama will realise this at the end of the movie and change his stance.

But my favourite theory is Bhairava being Lord Shiva. When Bhairava called himself the 'living legend in Kashi' in the Bujji & Bhairava series, it kind of stuck with me. Who's more legendary than Lord Shiva in Kashi? And the story goes that Shiva gave Kalki the divine weapon, the all-knowing talking parrot and the white horse. Bhairava have all the three; we saw the weapon in the first promo and Bujji's brain and body are the talking parrot and white horse equivalent. if Bhairava is Shiva, he's actually protecting the baby while pretending to hunt him for the Complex as well as testing Ashwathama's determination for redemption. In Mahabharata, Ashwathama was born after Dronacharya performed several years of severe penance to please Shiva as he wanted a son who possessed the strength and bravery of Shiva. So, it would make sense that Shiva aids him in his journey of redemption.

What if Bhairava is neither Kalki nor Shiva? Then what is his character doing in the movie?

"Despite the endless opportunities spanning over the generations, man fails to redeem himself and he never will."

I think this quote by Kamal Haasan's character, Kali is the key to Bhairava's significance in the movie, if he is not the titular character 'Kalki'.

There are many worlds in Hinduism, but our Puranas predominantly talk about the Swarga (abode of Devas), Prithvi (abode of humans) and Patal (abode of demons). There are also three worlds in the film: Complex, Shambala and Kashi. Unlike Puranas, where there were three races inhabiting the three worlds, in the film, the three worlds are inhabited by the humans only.

The Complex is the place where God is banned. They treat Supreme Yaskin as the God. They have conquered the world and taken all the resources for themselves. In appearance, the Complex gives the illusion of Swarga, but it actually embodies the demonic qualities of Patal.

Shambala is the place where they still believe in God and hope for his return to save them. They fight the Complex and their unjust actions. They are safe haven for anyone who wants to escape the hold of the Complex. In appearance, they are an underground society (Patal), but they are actually the forces of righteousness in the desolate world, fighting on the side of God and thus symbolises Devas of Swarga.

Then there is Kashi, the last surviving city. They are neutral. They are neither the evil conqueror nor the righteous warriors. They are humans who are trying to survive in an unfair world. They are not on anyone's side, but their own side. They represent the humans of Prithvi.

"In this world, there's only one side to be on. Your own side."

Bhairava and the bounty hunters of Kashi are the representation of the man in Kali's quote. They embody the qualities of selfishness, greed, and going to any extent to accomplish their goals, without caring about the consequences of their actions.

To be fair, Bhairava isn't doing anything wrong. He's trying to survive in a world which has lost all hopes. But he's so caught up in this mode of survival that he can't recognise this new hope for a better tomorrow, that Ashwathama and the people of Shambala are seeing in Sumati and her baby. All he sees the 5-star bounty that is his one shot at entering the Complex. He's not realising that he's fighting for the wrong side, that he's fighting to keep the old hierarchies intact that had made this world a hopeless place for him and others like him in the first place. He's helping the people who are the cause of all his problems under the illusion of becoming one of them.

Bhairava represents the man who is given numerous chances by the God, but he's so trapped in the Maya (worldly illusion) that he fails to recognise him and hence, is forever doomed to be trapped in the cycle of suffering.

Will Bhairava recognise the truth before it's too late? Or he will handover Sumati over to the Complex?

Bhairava's action would decide if the world is worth saving or not. If God should keep his promise and take birth to save all the humans? Or he should just let the humans rot in the hell, they have turned the Earth into.

The movie is not just about Ashwathama's redemption, but also the redemption of the mankind, represented by Bhairava.

As Kali said, humans have given numerous opportunities by the God to redeem themselves, but they have failed each time. Like Duryodhana failed when he refused to give even five villages to Pandavas, when Krishna asked, leading to his defeat in the Mahabharata war. Maybe that's why Ashwathama is having flashbacks of Mahabharata when fighting with Bhairava. He is seeing his past self in him. When he went against the Lord himself, blinded by his ambition and loyalty for Duryodhana.

Humanity is given another chance. Kali is sure we will fail this time too. It's up to Bhairava now, if humans fail again or they finally succeed in redeeming themselves this time.

[maxhp2910]

The MVP of #Kalki2898AD is not Deepika Padukone or Prabhas or Bujji it's AMITABH BACCHAN playing ASHWATHAMMA, Kamal Haasan being a close second. Whenever both of them come on screen the movie is elevated drastically. But Big B stole the show for me, he literally is in God Mode!

[voidsteffy]

Kalki 2898 AD thoughts (spoiler-filled and long af)

Ok so.... I watched it in Telugu, and 3D. 3D wasn't that special methinks cz only the huge jaguar jumping scene in the start got me. Nothing much 3D-wise.

Now, watching it in Telugu........... Um... Even the dubbing sounds like wonky Telugu and I didn't like that.

Time for points I liked and didn't like--

Liked:

1. The idea of that world: how Kaasi is the first city and now the last city of this Yuga. Priyanka Dutt really headed a dedicated team. I loved the tarot scene because it reminded me of Godavari and made me want a Shekhar Kammula cameo too👀😭

2. I liked how the Vyjayanti logo took us into the world. And the whole premise it started off on. Love the Pareekshit and Ashwathhama Athah...! Kunjarah premise references

3. Loved how the Shiva Linga Ashwathama is meditating near is most likely The Kaasi Viswanath Lingam

4. The CGI with Mr. Amitabh Bachhan

5. Bujji. Unpop opinion maybe, but I liked Bujji more than Bhairava. Was I the only one who wanted Bujji to be the genderbent preserved consciousness of Bujjigaadu (Bujjigaadu: Made in Chennai reference 🤭)

6. How the flames give way to the bearer of Kalki avataram while just a Yuga before, the sea gave way to Vasudeva - the carrier of Krishna avataram. Nice nice. Probably the thing I liked most about this movie.

7. The cameos (will talk about this later)

8. The scale of the vision.... HATS OFF. I want into that man's head istg. All 3 movies: Yevade Subramanyam, Mahanati and now Kalki 2898 AD are three distinct visions and superb visions. I'd love to even see all the concept art for this movie!!!!

9. Call me silly but APRIL ONE VIDUDALA REUNION!!!! (iykyk)

Didn't like (hyper spoilers ahead):

1. Bhairava's character needs more depth. A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL PROLLY TEASE ME/ DISAGREE WITH ME ON THIS POINT. But he does. He's shown as a selfish mercenary whose aim is to settle in the Complex. (I have dreams like you no really a little less touchy feely. But they mainly happen where it's warm and sunny. On an island that I own tanned and rested and alone surrounded by enormous piles of money). He's got debts all over Kaasi and he uses all his money for things like building Bujji and automobiles and thrusters and stuff. But what makes him tick (other than scratching Bujji who he abandons half the time)? What is he scared of? I feel like it would have worked better if Bhairava didn't go to the Complex at all and was banned from it. It gives his hope to see the Complex a touch of whimsy and desperation.

2. Disha Patani's character. The story just forgets about her after the party song which is the most pointless song of the movie btw. I feel like even Nag Ashwin didn't want it there on first thought.

3. SRI KRISHNA DID NOT REMOVE ASHWATHHAMA'S MANI!!!! It was Arjuna who did it as far as I know. After causing the death of Abhimanyu and fellow warriors and family members by unfairly means, Ashwathama almost faced the wrath of Bheema after being dragged to the Pandavas' tents However, Krishna couldn't let the Pandavas commit a sin to revenge a sin. He said, though Ashwathama caused the death of unarmed unaware Kshatriyas, he himself is a Brahmin by birth and thus killing him would be an unforgivable sin. Therefore, completely cutting his hair and taking his mani would be comparable to death. So it was Arjuna who took out the mani on Sir Krishna's advice. (As far as I read and heard from pravachans since my childhood) I disliked how the story started with this inaccuracy and it took me out of the flow. Or maybe Nag Ashwin wanted to change this part of the story to include the curse and pave the story's base? Dk

4. The fights never stop (not in the good way): Bhairava's first fight was SO. LONG. Actually, Bhairava's every fight was so long. Most unnecessarily so. His fights with Ashwathama go on for so long I actually started wondering why the all powerful giant hadn't killed our hero. I'm mean, I know, but I get annoyed by such drags.

5. Late emotional connect: Mrunal Thakur's character dying didn't even pinch. Because I had no emotional connect to even feel the horror of what had happened. But yes, I did cry when Rajendra Prasad's character died soon after bcz that meant the death of the one character who spoke the best Telugu in the movie.

6. As I mentioned, I watched the Telugu version and was disappointed by the lack of diction, even in the dubbing!😭

7. The main point: Almost every scene reminded me of a different movie. A lot of people keep saying it's Dune + Star Wars but here, all I've got to mention -> Loki morphing into many Lokis, Sakaar's neck electrocution thingy (EXACT SAME), Troy: Legacy and Aagardian vehicles with the flying vehicles of that 5000 units bounty hunter. Coco wrt to the city's inner infrastructure (resembles the city in the afterlife, except make it sepia tone). Star Wars with the jedi light saber that Bhairava's dad teaches him to use. Bujji = JARVIS without the English politeness. Prince of Persia: sands of time and John Carter wrt the setting and vibes of the outdoor fight sequences. Mariamma's light rope handles??? From Iron man 2 as well as Wonder Woman. When Sumati imagines everyone dead at her feet it gives Tony from Age of Ultron. The Complex looks a lot like the Singing kingdom from The Marvels. There was an episode of Nebula in Marvel's What If? Animated series -> the concept of the complex or dystopia and the bar seems a lot like it.

8. Ashwathama and Karna weren't friends per the Mahabharatam. "Ashwa uncle" keeps calling Karna "sodara" (pure telugu word for brother) and not "mitrama" (pure telugu word for friend/ally) and it sort of irks me. Also, I think Sri Krishna's voice could have been sweeter (the pitch, Krishna could melt mountains with his voice. Here Krishna's voice sounded something like what we could match to Balarama)

Ok done with that.

Now, cameos..... I mean it's a Nag Ashwin movie and I went in expecting cameos after my experience with Mahanati tbh.

Ones I liked: Malvika Nair as Uttara (that was how I had imagined Shakuntala to look like in Shaakuntalam btw), DQ as Captain/Pilot, Brahmi garu as the fed up landlord, Avasarala Srinivas as gambler (missed him in Mahanati), RGV as the food vendor, Rajendra Prasad bcz the man speaks the best Telugu in this movie (as I mentioned before)

Ones I found Meh: Mrunal Thakur as the pregnant lady (only bcz there was no emotional connect, didn't know anything abt her character except that she's pregnant), Faria Abdullah as the showpiece-angel-dancer??, Disha Patani

Ones I wanted to question: Vijay Devarakonda as Arjuna (like........... I feel like Rana would have been the perfect Arjuna despite that opinion originating from his KVJG days. But maybe Tarak? Maybe you could have CGI-ed NTR sr and reminded us of Nartanasala!!) I have nothing against Vijay Devarakonda, but he just didn't fittttt

Overall: a beautiful effort and a mindblowing idea but the lagging screenplay, some music choices and slight misinformation reduces its impact. Liked it and would recommend bcz this is all people would be talking about and you wouldn't want to stay uninformed on a global phenomenon.

[spookypeacephantom]

Prabhas as Bhairava

kalki 2898AD

[kaipanzero]

Kalki 2898 AD (2024)

[ekpriyasi]

GOODBYE

Prabhas x fem oc

( incomplete love but stronger than complete one)

ᴅᴇᴀʀ ᴅᴀʀʟɪɴɢ,

Everyday now, literally everyday... I sit in this corner of my room grieving , grieving 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 grieving. For all that could have been, for all things that are not.

Do I deserve this . Yes! Probably i do. this is the punishment i should get for falling for you.

All those days and year of holding your hand, admiring how you smile, adoring how just simple things make you blush , how you become a brat when it comes to food but a darling when it comes to anything else, how everyday i wait for smallest message , how you changed from being a total shy boy to a fully talkative best friend in 7 yrs.

Your innocent eyes, lazy gummy smile, adorable childish . I saw them and that's why i could not my stupid heart to fall in love with you. I knew it was wrong but risk was love ,for sure.

I dreamed how life would feel with you, for days for year till the time I gathered courage to shout and tell everyone i love you, tell you that         " 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙝𝙖𝙨.. 𝙔𝙚𝙨                             𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 ..𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪                       𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨"

I was ready tell you this... Waiting for seven years has made me weak i could not do this anymore , i could not hide this anymore. I knew you never wanted love you were clear. I know you told me thousand times prabhas that how important friend i am to you. But that was the problem prabhas i was only your friend but you were my world . I didn't wanted to lose you so kept my secret but i could not anymore.

That when my life turned , that when the world shattered for me. When you invited me to your house saying you have a surprise.. A surprise that came like storm and destroyed the house of my hope..

And then I realized that probably this was my fate , your love was never mine, never will be.

You were my savior. I want to tell you that i am scared, i scared of losing you but then again... You were never mine.

I didn't know love until I met you. I didn't know how to pray until I loved you. And I didn't know how much I loved you until I learned how to let you go.

Yes i am letting you go from my heart. to the place where you belong to be. You belong with me, Maybe in another world or lifetime, but I know you belong with me

Should I be grateful or should I curse the fact that despite all misfortune I can still feel love...

I am going prabhas ... I am going.... I don't know what to say to you expect that it tore my heart out of my body saying goodbye to you in person so writing this letter to you... Happy marriage buddy ♡

I knew from the moment I met you I would spend a lifetime missing you. But I choose it for me i am sorry..i ran behind the need of your love but it was always there in you ,in your friendship. It's not your fault, never was.

I am leaving you , leaving this world.. Because I am afraid I will love you forever and we will still never be in the same room again.

I hope you know that I always want you to be happy. Parul is a nice girl love her forever. At last i just want to tell you these lines of my favorite song

" 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪 𝘮𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘩𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘫𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘫𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘱𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘪 𝘺𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘮𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘩𝘪 𝘵𝘰, 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘒𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘥𝘦 𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘫𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘢𝘪 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘫𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘢𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘺𝘢 "

ʏᴏᴜʀ's ғᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ

[mahi-wayy]

the new release trailer is GORGEOUS and that song being sung in the background? uff goosebumps dudes.

[prabhasdarling23]

PRABHAS'S KALKI 2898AD Now streaming on Netflix and Prime

Biggest blockbuster #Kalki2898AD is now streaming on OTT🤗😍Hindi on @NetflixIndia: netflix.com/us/title/81726…Telugu, Tamil, Kannada & Malayalam on @PrimeVideoIN: primevideo.com/detail/amzn1.d…#Kalki2898ADOnNetflix #Kalki2898ADOnPrime

[playermagic23]

Prabhas and Deepika Padukone starrer "Kalki 2898 AD" (Hindi) has an excellent Sunday enters Rs. 100 Crores Club

In a year that has seen a draught of big-ticket films with only Fighter and Shaitaan managing to go past the Rs. 200 crores and Rs. 150 crores mark respectively, it's remarkable that Kalki 2898 AD [Hindi] starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, & Amitabh Bachchan has moved really fast to hit a big century.

As a result, Rs. 40.15 crores were accumulated at the box office and to think of it, this is just the Hindi version since the original Telugu versions is also collecting well and then there are other dubbed versions as well. 

The opening has done the job for the film in terms of initial audiences coming in, which means from today on-wards the word of mouth will start coming into play. 

[dcblogs]

Kalki 2898 AD - Movie Review

India's highest budget movie till date, Kalki 2898 AD has released today. Nag Ashwin, who is just 2 films old (Evade Subramanyam & Mahanati), helming this magnum opus of science fiction interlinked with mythology, is itself a gutsy attempt. Roping in stalwarts like Amitabh and Kamal Haasan, while having "The Prabhas" and Deepika is taking it to next level. Did he live upto the expectations? Let's see.

Story :- It's 2898 AD, where there are only 3 worlds shown. Complex, Kashi and Shambala. Complex controls Kashi and all other worlds with it's dominance under the guidance of Yaskin (Kamal Haasan). They trace fertile women and use them for making Project K a success, which gives super power to Yaskin. Kashi is deprived of all resources and exploited by Complex. Shambala is a rebel group who want to bring down Complex at any cost. Sumathi (Deepika) is pregnant and crucial for Project K to become success, however she escapes from Complex to save her baby. Bhairava (Prabhas) a bounty hunter, who is desperate to shift to Complex from Kashi, wants to catch Sumathi and handover to complex. Ashwathama (Amitabh) is alive just to protect Sumathi's baby. Bhairava and Ashwathama face off each other in this process. Who wins over whom? Was Sumathi protected? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances :- Entire story revolves around Deepika. She was very good in the given scope and interval block stands out. Amitabh Bachchan has most creamy role, be it the elevations, action sequences or back story. He is outstanding in it. This could be termed as the best mass role for Amitabh in ages. Prabhas is the life of the film. What could be otherwise an serious emotional film with slow pace, was made lively with his comedy timing. His camaraderie with Bujji, one liners during action sequences, sequences with Bhramandam or other cameos, makes the movie enjoyable. His get up in the last scene bring goosebumps to fans. Kamal Haasan has limited scope and he excels in it. Despite having prosthetic and graphics, his intensity in acting arrests you. Bengali actor Saswata Chatterjee has a meatier role as commander of Complex and he was great. Shobhana, Pasupathy, Rajendra Prasad, Disha Patani, Anna Ben were fine in their roles. Lot of cameos are there throughout the movie, which surprise us occassionally.

Technicians :- Graphics of the movie is of the highest standard and on par with any Hollywood movie. The team should be applauded for the quality. Art work comes next in line for the accolades, setting up 3 worlds with contrasting premises. Action sequences were very well designed and executed, using the graphics to the maximum extent possible. Santosh Narayanan background score is excellent. Songs could have been better though. Nag Ashwin deserves a bow for the way he has conceived this story and executed it. Perfect blend of Indian mythology in a science fiction film is a very rare phenomenon, which he has aced. No one would believe that the director of Mahanati and Kalki are one and the same. Such is the contrast of these films genre are. He has a Rajamouli and a Bapu in him. Costumes & Make up have complimented the proceedings of the film.

Positives :-

Everything

Negatives :-

Lags in 1st half

Few songs

Summary :- Great story, terrific performances, top notch graphics make it must watch. It should be seen as a story based movie rather than a Prabhas movie, to enjoy it fully. Kudos to Nag Ashwin for pulling it off.

Rating :- 4.5/5 (Kalki is India's Avengers)

[tfgadgets]

Prabhas’ Kalki 2898 AD completes its North America theatrical run with Rs 155 crore collection

Nag Ashwin’s mythological sci-fi film Kalki 2898 AD starring Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone has just completed its theatrical run in North America. In recent times, North America has turned out to be the biggest market for Telugu films outside of India, which can be witnessed from the success of films like Baahubali 2, RRR and Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire. This craze…

[vintagewarhol]

[maxhp2910]

#Kalki2898AD (2024): As I'd said earlier, if this movie delivers half of what was promised then this will be the most influential movie of the Indian Cinema and it does deliver, mostly! 1st thing 1st this is the best World Buliding and CG & VFX work ever done in an Indian movie! Secondly, Best attempt at Sci-Fi ever done in India that too with the integration of our Scriptures! Plus, the overall story and concept is soo soo good fascinating and holds soo much potential but is let down by poor writing especially felt in the 1st half of the movie.

Yes, the first half holds the lowest points of the movie but it also gives us some peak moments like intro sequence, introduction of Kamal Haasan and ofc the Interval block! The 2nd half of #Kalki2898AD is where they come out full guns blazing with that Epicness in the Climax!

[lyricsolution-com]

Deepika Padukone's Stellar Performance In "Kalki 2898AD" Earns High Praise From DOP Djordje Stojiljkovic | People News

New Delhi: The accolades came to light in a video shared by Vyjayanthi Movies, where Djordje Stojiljkovic discussed his experience working on the film alongside global superstar Deepika Padukone and Prabhas. Known for his visual storytelling, Djordje highlighted Deepika’s pivotal role in the film, describing her character, Sumathi aka Sum-80, as a standout amidst the ensemble cast. Reflecting on…

[spookypeacephantom]

Prabhas as Bhairava

Kalki 2898AD

[alexisgentry]

So, basically, Nag Ashwin made the movie of my dreams.