User reviews

The soaring epicness of second part of the film and the excellent climax were tainted by bloated, boring and technically terrible first half. It had cringe dialogues, poorly choreographed action scenes and unnecessary subplots.

The props used throughout the movie looked like cheap foam. There was too much "inspiration" drawn from Hollywood movies.

The first attempt from Nag Ashwin is average at best. I hope he improves significantly in the second part of this film. To do so, he should focus on Mahabharata and adapt it as faithfully as possible. The sci-fi elements of the movie were most disappointing, whereas, the characters from the great epic were thoroughly exhilarating!

I don't understand the obsession with hero entry and why people are not against it if you have a good story then just stick with why do you need the star to be bigger than the story first hour of story is skippable completely , rest vfx was top notch even the ending was very good but this obsession with hero needs to stop also the director did not invent the character Kalki nor any references that they took from Mahabharata so please be respectful because its a part of our history not something that you can mock or not make it serious just because you want the hero entry or want films to have some useless and unfunny comedy.

I just watched Kalki and it's hard to express my disappointment.

First off, the movie is riddled with unnecessary comedic dialogues that feel completely out of place, especially given the supposedly intense theme. Prabhas, who is usually a powerhouse, sadly comes across as a CLOWNISH character here.

His performance is awkward and forced, making it difficult to take the film seriously. Kyra's character adds little value, with most of her screen time dedicated to pointless talks that drag the narrative down. The entire movie feels like it's overdoing everything-be it the action sequences, emotional moments, or the supposed "comedy," which is jarringly out of sync with the rest of the movie.

Kamal Haasan, despite being a legendary actor, has almost no role or screen presence. It feels like they used his name just to draw audiences, with no real contribution from him on-screen.

Additionally, the set-up blatantly borrows from Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) but fails miserably to capture the essence of the original. In the end, Kalki is a poorly executed, overhyped mess.

This one is a hard pass.

A unique genre, a well written story (script) & strong characters give this movie a strong start. The extravagant visuals & very detailed crisp VFX gives the audience much needed thrill.

However, one cannot forgo the resemblance of some VFX shots have with movies like Dune, Star-wars, mad max, black panther & transformers...Although huge kudos to the team for producing a movie which is equivalent to the scale of above mentioned movies.

Pros : 1. Time taken to build characters & explain world 2. Stunts, crisp bright visuals 3. Screenplay, Direction 4. Comedy Cons : 1. Music, background score is unique but doesn't give the much needed grandeur to the visuals and scenes, repeated use of same score, abruptly high background score during stunts 2. Editing especially first half.

This is just a replica of Star wars movie... The supream leader will look you like emperor palpatine. Most of the technology and scene and army build up are already there in Star Wars Series.. So if you have watched lots of Hollywood movies you will not feel that you are watching this kind of movie first time.

Good side is that Kalki is the first movie in Indian cinema which have this level of VFX which can completely give a better competition to any Hollywood science fiction movies.

Story line of this movie could be much better but and it's taken 3 hour but only very few things we have experienced in the story.

Its very tricky to do justice to a big story in time limits of a regular movie but this does have that balance in first released part.

Good: Some key flashback context like combat b/w arjun & Karn were spot on , Story is gripping, Visuals are amazing.

Thing that can be better : Prabhas in first part , maybe they could have gone with usual dubbing of Sharad kelkar in Hindi , though time is given to build character in first half but apart from Amitabh Ji no one is able to justice to it and create connect that why first half seems boring at least in Hindi. Action is there in 1st half as well but its some thing once might want to skip but in 2nd Half you don't want to miss it.

Overall its a good blend of Indian mythology with Starwars+Scifi post apocalyptic movie.

What totally went over my head : Prabhas transition from Kal Bhairava to Karna.

Buckle up for a roller-coaster ride through cinematic chaos! The story idea is an absolute gem, brimming with potential, and the characters are nothing short of a casting director's dream-each one brimming with pizzazz and personality. But alas, their development seems to have been left in the microwave a bit too long, coming out half-baked.

The screenplay? It's flatter than a week-old soda. Though, I must admit, it does have its fizz in a few key moments, like the interval and the climax.

Dialogues? Let's just say they won't be winning any literary awards.

Now, onto the comedy-it's the kind that instead of tickling your funny bone, it goes straight for the jugular, and not in a good way. The world-building feels like it was put together with duct tape and imagination, lacking the immersive magic we hoped for.

But let's talk about the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, who is stellar as always.

Prabhas gives it his all, bless his heart.

Kamal Hassan makes a brief yet dazzling appearance, hinting at more brilliance in the next instalment.

Saswata Chatterjee? He brings his A-game, no doubt about it.

Deepika Padukone looks fine and delivers a decent performance, and her Telugu dubbing is better than that in the trailer.

Disha Patani is scorching enough to set the screen on fire in her limited screen time.

The rest of the cast, including Pashupati, Shobhana and Rajendra Prasad put in decent efforts. However, the film is sprinkled with cameos like confetti at a surprise party-most of which are more of a head-scratcher than a treat.

The action scenes? They're as disappointing as a soggy French fry.

Cinematography is serviceable, background music hits the right notes, but the songs miss the mark.

Production values are respectable, but direction sails somewhere in the middling seas of mediocrity.

Some VFX are eye-poppingly good, though.

Overall, it's a mixed bag of delights and letdowns-a cinematic hotpot where the ingredients are only half-cooked. Enjoy it for what it is, but don't be surprised if you leave the theater feeling a little unsatisfied.

Over buildup music, over acting by prabhas. Amitabh bachchan's acting is the only part of the film which deserve some appriciation, fighting scenes of amitabh bachchan are very good, where as prabhas do a very nice over acting in almost all of his scene. And the over buildup music and forcefull emotions are also the worst part of this film. It is a humble request to the director, please dont smoke before shooting, and make next part of this film watchable, so that you dont have to over sell your movie next time. And please tell prabhas not to make the next part unbearable as this one.

Conclusion: over sold movie, over buildup music and overaction by prabhas, only AMITABH BACHCHAN'S character make the movie worthy.

Majestic at scale, grandeur in VFX, and great blend of sci-fi & mythology taken at an eye popping level. Proud moment indeed for Indian cinema that stands tall as a mega mountain.

Director Nag Aswin takes us through three different "never seen" worlds. First half is a bit drag with comedy elements and build up. Editing could have been better.

Second half elevates to "PEAKS" with spectacular action sequences, strong story and crisp screenplay. Pre-interval and climax is a hair riser, and giving audience plenty of goosebumps.

Prabhas is at his usual coolness and delivers. Deepika Padukone emotes well and binds to her character. Kamal's getup and dialogue delivery will stun you. There are plenty of surprises in terms of star cast.

Sir Amitabh Bachchan outweighs every other character and is the heart of the whole movie. His stature, voice, caring attitude & protective nature, and breathtaking action scenes will be remembered by all ages.

Terrific BGM & technical aspects, and deeper mythological connection with a strong plot in second half will make audience go gaga.

True cinematic triumph, and there will be a giant sea swell in the box office!

It seems like the writer cum director only able to Imagine the KALKI in 2898 A. D. and got exhausted and then decided to copy all the top sci-fi movies of Hollywood from character to world building and mix it made the khichdi with Mahabharat tadka (which is the only good part).

Copied hollywood ideas from :- Star wars, Black Panther, Alita Battle angel, Dune, Blade runner, Mortal Engines, you can also 1 or 2 more if you wish.

Even if you convince yourself that copying ideas aren't that bad unless it's a ripoff unfortunately KALKI 2898 A. D. is a complete ripoff of those ideas and lacks essence of the story.

On the other hand the special effects are also cheap levels it feels like a movie is made on low budget with unpaid interns at work and it's hard to ignore.

It also feels like characters of the movie are seemingly directionless and unaware of their environment.

Also the failed to place itself neither science fiction and nor in fantasy fiction both because it's distorted logic and mythological characters involved in dystopian society which tells audience that don't think too much just believe that it happens instead of explaining things.

More over, the movie doesn't seem like it's crafted with passion or love rather in a capitalist POV

After all kudos for the experiment.

Right off the bat, I will say that the plot was superbly established, it made you feel the stakes. The main storyline originates from the Mahabharata so the creators really needed to push the boundaries on the execution, which I can say that they did but were they able to pull it off extraordinarily or were there shortcomings? Read on to find out.

I have attempted to break down my thoughts of each major field without giving any spoilers or too much negative connotations.

Dialogues:

Not much to say about these, they are what you would expect from a sci-fi flick (some hi-fi English vocabulary paired with the modern Hindi), and the archaic style Hindi (Sanksritised) that is generally seen in the adaptations of Hindu epics.

Characters:

I am sorry to say but the chemistry between is Bhairava & Bujji was almost non-existent. They did talk about stuff other than bounties and work but the final result was too many puns and attempts to make the audience laugh which left nothing to be established between them.

The portrayal of Prabhas' character got a bit tiresome at the start. The interactions between Bhairava and anyone were very, very boring. Apart from that, he wasn't exactly a formidable force either, and so wasn't Ashwatthama.

I genuinely feel that the creator didn't give any character the power that they deserved. For instance, Ashwatthama's powers are bound to the plot, they only work in last resorts. Bhairava does godlike damage as a human. "Other enemies" are literally Stormtroopers and some times really dumb.

Then, the character of Deepika Padukone. It was appropriately executed according to her and the plot, so no complaints there.

The remaining characters are nothing to write home about, nothing of that gravity as of the main 3 characters.

Story & Execution:

The start of the first half was stretched too much, with a lot of that stretched time going to Bhairava (intro & fillers). Then again, his interactions with others were extremely dull.

There were many continuity errors, like skipping somewhat essential bridging scenes and abruptly changing the theme of the scene altogether.

Apart from that, the story (pertaining to the Mahabharata) was told superbly. The flashbacks of Ashwatthama were really good (so was his character). You could really feel the high stakes throughout the movie.

So in essence, the plot was well planned out, but the execution on the character part fell a tad bit short.

VFX:

I went in with high hopes and I came out both surprised and disappointed. At some parts, the VFX was outstanding, but in some places, it was the exact opposite (like the de-aged AB looking like he came straight out of "Motu Patlu").

The bad VFX was best visible during fighting sequences and JUMPS (with some scattered across the film). I cannot stress this enough when I say that the jumps (and the flying) were very inorganic, it was so cable-y, everyone was hovering around. The film was really jump and flight heavy, and given the fact that there are humans of godly stature and a 'Chiranjeevi' involved (enemies being thrown around and protagonists jumping 20 feet), this shouldn't come as a surprise.

Cinematography:

Pretty standard, nothing too extravagant. Overall, a solid setup.

Music:

An absolute treat to the ears. I loved Ashwatthama's theme (right from the announcement). The Bhairava theme was the only thing that felt out of place (but that just might be me). Also, maybe I am nitpicking too much now, but the mixing and the abrupt change in tones across scenes affected the experience a bit. Nevertheless, the music complimented the scenes perfectly.

Influences:

As you know, this movie is inspired by the Mahabharata. I would say that the references to the epic and the sci-fi present day story were well balanced. It all made sense and after all, the essence is that of the Mahabharata's depiction.

In conclusion, the plot was extremely good, story was told really well. It however, lacked in the department of VFX and a special department named "Bhairava". So, the execution was a bit of a miss. However, even with its downsides, the intriguing story and some goosebumps moments (especially towards the end) make this a worthwhile watch!

Synopsis: Death is not a punishment; it is a blessing.

First half: The movie begins with themes and depictions that instantly immerse you. However, it falters in the middle due to pacing and editing issues. Yet, in the last 15 minutes, it regains its footing and delivers. Prabhas's best since bahubali. The film also features numerous impressive cameos.

Second half: Oh my, oh my! The movie saves its best for last, especially when delving into our history, particularly the Mahabharata references. Despite minor flaws, I'm inclined to overlook them because this film is truly special. Director Ashwin has not only crafted a sci-fi film but a remarkable one, especially given its budget constraints.

Amitabh Bachchan stands out, and Prabhas delivers a commendable performance. The visuals are exceptional and serve as the film's hallmark. The background music is superb, enriching and completing the cinematic experience. However, I would have preferred if it were utilized more extensively, as it presents a slight missed opportunity.

Final verdict: "Kalki" is a splendid film, not only in terms of its quality but also due to the director's visionary and honest approach to our history.

"Kalki 2898" is not just a movie; it's an experience that redefines the boundaries of science fiction and epic storytelling. Directed by the visionary filmmaker Nag Ashwin, this film is a tour de force that combines a compelling narrative, breathtaking visuals, and stellar performances, setting a new benchmark for Indian cinema.

Plot and Storyline: Set in a dystopian future, "Kalki 2898" explores themes of hope, survival, and the eternal battle between good and evil. The plot intricately weaves together elements of mythology and futuristic science, creating a tapestry that is both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. The story follows Kalki, a hero prophesied to restore balance in a world teetering on the brink of chaos. The narrative is gripping, with each scene meticulously crafted to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Visuals and Special Effects: The visual effects in "Kalki 2898" are nothing short of spectacular. The futuristic landscapes are rendered with a level of detail that is awe-inspiring, transporting viewers to another world. The use of CGI is seamless, enhancing the storytelling without overwhelming it. The film's cinematography is equally impressive, with each frame composed like a work of art. The use of color, lighting, and innovative camera angles adds depth and dimension to the viewing experience.

Performances: The cast of "Kalki 2898" delivers performances that are powerful and nuanced. Prabhas, in the titular role, brings a perfect blend of intensity and vulnerability, making Kalki a hero that audiences can root for. Deepika Padukone, as the enigmatic and strong-willed heroine, adds a layer of complexity to the narrative. Amitabh Bachchan, in a pivotal role, delivers a performance that is both commanding and emotionally charged. The supporting cast, including Disha Patani, brings depth and authenticity to their characters, enhancing the overall impact of the film.

Direction and Screenplay: Nag Ashwin's direction is masterful, showcasing his ability to blend genres and create a cohesive and compelling story. His vision for "Kalki 2898" is ambitious, and he executes it with precision and flair. The screenplay is tight, with a perfect balance of action, drama, and philosophical musings. The dialogues are poignant, often leaving a lasting impact long after the credits roll.

Music and Sound Design: The music by Santhosh Narayananelevates "Kalki 2898" to another level. The score is hauntingly beautiful, perfectly complementing the film's tone and themes. The sound design is meticulous, creating an immersive audio experience that draws viewers deeper into the story.

Conclusion: "Kalki 2898" is a cinematic triumph that stands out in every aspect. It is a film that challenges, inspires, and entertains, leaving a profound impact on its audience. This movie is a must-watch for anyone who appreciates the art of filmmaking and storytelling. Nag Ashwin has crafted a masterpiece that will be remembered as a landmark in Indian cinema. "Kalki 2898" is not just a film; it is a journey that stays with you long after you leave the theater.

Kalki is an ambitious Tollywood project. Kudos to the actors down south for coming together, trusting the director and the process, and for doing their bit even if it means small cameos! Really applaudable.

As the name suggests, Kalki is inspired by the epic tale of the Mahabharata, yet it feels more like a plagiarized science fiction story taken from around the world with a pinch of Indina mythology. However, its a visual and cinematic treat given the CGI and VFX.used.

The plot was amiss; the storytelling, screenplay, and dialogues couldn't keep me hooked. It was dragging and pointless at times.

Character building for the entire cast was the biggest letdown. The prophetic incarnation of Lord Vishnu's last Avatar wasn't imbibed in the story the way it was supposed to be. Very underwhelming.

Kalki is somewhat bearable because of the one and only Amitabh Bachchan's performance. His screen presence and acting are the soul of the film. I loved seeing my favorite actor Brahmanadam in a small role. Prabhas is just the usual Prabhas-same swag, same power-there is nothing new about his or Deepika Padukone 's performance. Disha Patni 's role was kinda unnecessary and it seems like she was there for her typical beach scene where she can show her fit body only.

Overall, Kalki(most expensive Indian film), is rather disappointing, and it definitely fails to deliver.

Theatres are housefull so far, but im pretty sure, its bez of the take reviews. This was the first instalment of the Kalki Cinematic Universe, i hope the next one does justice, but this one is a hard pass!

### Movie Review: Kalki 2898 AD

**Rating: 7/10**

"Kalki 2898 AD" combines ancient Indian legends with a futuristic world, leaving audiences eager for its sequels, "Kalki 2" and "Kalki 3." It's set in 2898 AD, where the city of Kasi is humanity's last refuge, ruled by the god king Supreme Yaskin, played by Kamal Haasan. The story spans from the Mahabharata era to the future, focusing on Kalki, Vishnu's final avatar.

Amitabh Bachchan shines as Ashwathama, guarding SUM-80 (Deepika Padukone), carrying unborn Vishnu. Prabhas as Bhairava also impresses, alongside Vijay Deverakonda, Brahmanandam, and Rajendra Prasad, each with distinct roles and their natural accents.

"Kalki 2898 AD" visually impresses with influences from Hollywood epics like Avatar, Star Wars, and The Avengers. Etc., However, the movie's slow-paced first half lessens its impact. Fortunately, the second half gains momentum with thrilling action and impressive sound effects, enhancing the cinematic experience.

Despite initial drawbacks, "Kalki 2898 AD" remains a bold venture in Indian cinema, pushing boundaries with its themes and visual splendor. Released in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and English through dubbed versions, it's worth noting that language adaptations may affect viewer engagement, particularly in Hindi and English versions.

Jack of all and master of none. Have used so many heros and directors for characters in movie, it's more of a spoof movie kind than serious movie. Making is good but not the real story that is required. Sci Fi movie without strong story making Skills. Graphics are good. Deepika has same expression from 1 st scene to last scene in thr movie. Bujji and Prabhas jokes doesn't jell so well as they expected to be linked in movie. Movie length is too long more than 3 hrs which makes audience to have good nap if show is night show. I did the same so have mentioned it here. I wish directors concentrate more on content not just on spending more money on movies.

The Kalki 2898 AD movie is an epic dystopian science fiction action film directed and written by Nag Ashwin. The film features Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hassan, and Deepika Padukone in lead roles.

The 'Hollywood range' visuals are absolutely stunning for a theatrical watch, and the background score is impactful in places.

*Overall*

This is a great start to an epic cinematic universe of India! The Kalki 2898 AD movie is an epic dystopian science fiction action film directed and written by Nag Ashwin. The film features Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hassan, and Deepika Padukone in lead roles.

A unique story and mixup of technology and Mahabharata. If you will watch it then you will also say this : Paisa Wasool hai boss .

Eagerly wait for part 2.

Role of Sir Amitabh ji is very appreciated.

Prabhas ki toh baat hi alag hai .

Technology and graphics for this movie is very high and it's a faadu movie boss.

If you are wearing power goggles then watch it in 2D . But normal people should watch it in 3D.

Role of Tech Mahindra's car 🚗 was also a unique.

Stay away nibba nibbi group from this movie.

Only a true lover can feel this movie , action, story etc.

Thank you for such wonderful movie.