‘Kalki 2898 AD’ trailer: Nag Ashwin’s magnum opus is a search for hope, led by Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan

Prabhas as Bhairava in ‘Kalki 2898 AD’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Director Nag Ashwin’s Telugu science fiction Kalki 2898 AD, said to be one of the most expensive films to be made in Indian cinema, is set in the post-apocalyptic city of Kasi in 2898 AD. The trailer of the ambitious film, unveiled in Hyderabad, shows Prabhas as Bhairava, working alongside the AI-enabled car BU-JZ-1 or Bujji, and Deepika Padukone, taking on evil forces. Amitabh Bachchan plays Ashwatthama while Kamal Haasan is cast in a negative character. The film also stars Disha Patani, Pasupathy, Anna Ben, Saswata Chatterjee and Rajendra Prasad.

The trailer that runs a little over three minutes ushers viewers into the dystopian city of Kasi where currency is measured in units and there is scarcity of food and water. A ‘complex’ in the city is out of their reach as they yearn for better living standards. The crux of the film revolves around the mythological story of Kalki, the 10th avatar of Vishnu.

Kalki 2898 AD has music by Santhosh Narayanan, cinematography by Djordje Stojiljkovic and the film coincides with the 50th year of production house Vyjayanthi Movies. Nag Ashwin earlier directed Yevade Subrahmanyam and the Savitri biopic, Mahanati. Kalki 2898 AD will release worldwide on June 27 in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and other languages. Earlier this month, the production house rolled out two episodes of an animated web series Bujji & Bhairava, a prequel to the film, on Amazon Prime Video.