Kalki 2898 AD Movie Review

A post-apocalyptic, action film is something that excites us from the get go, and such a film getting made in India is something that doesnt come by every year. Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898AD belongs to this space, and it is a visually and technically brilliant film right from the start, blowing us away with what we get to see onscreen.

Kalki’s big plus is in how Nag Ashwin conceives his world and characters, and the conflict that he brings forward. The interesting fact here is in how Kalki has merged a Mahabharata connect into the narrative, and whenever he brings that up for the screen, the film flies up.

However, the sci-fi angle is what looks too one-toned in the film, and Ashwin hardly has anything going for it there. Right from Prabhas’ intro which is too generic, the sci-fi angle and the new world feel take a backseat, and it only generates some sort of interest when Deepika Padukone or Amitabh Bachchan are pushed to the forefront. It is these two characters who help the film stand up on its toes, for otherwise, it is suffering from a very flat narrative throughout.

Prabhas hardly has anything to do in the film, and the action sequences too don’t give him any kind of fan service that his core group would generally like. The film also suffers from the lack of utilizing its cameos properly, and there is not much that can be done even with the presence of a solid support cast where Anna Ben, Shobana and Pasupathi get a good hand each.

The background score and the songs by Santhosh Narayanan are another disappointment, and some of the scenes which could have been elevated by the score turn out to be dampeners. However, the cinematography deserves a big load of praise for sure.

On the whole, Kalki is a decent watch that only gets saved towards the end thanks to its grand and action-packed climax. The film could have had a lot more going for it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t realize its full potential.

Kalki 2898 AD Movie Review Rating: 3/5