Nag Ashwin clarifies Kalki 2898 AD won't be a franchise like Star Wars: ‘It’s one film and I think that's enough'

Director Nag Ashwin opened up about his upcoming project, Kalki 2898 AD with Prabhas, at an event held at IIT Bombay.

Nag Ashwin’s upcoming project Kalki 2898 AD is one of Prabhas’ much-awaited projects. The team has been secretive about the film’s story, but Nag opened up a little about the film at an event held at IIT Bombay. While the highlight of the event was him spontaneously calling up Prabhas after a fan requested him to do so, here are some deets he spilled at the talk. (Also Read: Prabhas’ Salaar is a masterclass on delayed gratification)

Prabhas in a still from Kalki 2898 AD

‘Kalki is not Star Wars’

A student drew parallels between Kalki 2898 AD and the popular franchise when he asked the director, “Will the film be India’s Star Wars? Are you planning to build an entire universe around it?” Nag made it crystal clear that his film was one-of-a-kind when he answered, “I don’t think so…this will be India’s K. It’s India's Project K, India's Kalki. It's one film and I think that’s enough.” He did however encourage a fan's theory about a part two for the film.

‘We custom-built the weapons’

After the teaser of Kalki 2898 AD released, the weapons have been a major talking point. While some lauded the filmmakers for their ingenuity when it came to the shape of the guns in the film, others believed that the weapons could’ve looked better on-screen. Nag stated that the team faced a lot of issues while making them. “We did not have a reference point, so it was all about trial and error for us when it came to all the props,” he said.

He also added that the film has a lot of weapons and they wanted to make the effort to do more than just recycle old props. “We built the weapons from scratch instead of renting an available gun prop, slapping on two lights and calling it a laser gun,” he detailed, adding, “We also did a lot of VFX to help them come to life. However, we have taken feedback into account and they will look much better in the film than in the teaser.”

‘The final avatar’

Despite being a sci-fi film, Kalki 2898 AD has a surprising connection to mythology. When asked why he chose the name Kalki for the film, Nag responded, “Kalki is the final avatar of Vishnu. Despite being set in the future, the film has a connection to the past that will be revealed in the film. We thought this would be an apt name.”

Apart from Prabhas, the film also stars Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Disha Patani in the lead roles. Shooting for the film is in progress and the film will hit screens next year.

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