Kalki 2898 AD Review: The Force Is Strong


Prabhas
may
be
the
face
of Kalki
2898
AD’s
 heroics
but
the
real
bang
for
your
buck
is
delivered
in
Amitabh
Bachchan’s
indefatigable
energy
providing Kalki’s biggest
wolf-whistle
moments,
applauds
Sukanya
Verma.

 

I’m
suspicious
of
anything
that
comes
with
the
‘most
expensive
movie
ever
made’
tag.

These
big-budget,
bombastic
extravaganzas
are
so
consumed
by
scale,
they
forget
to
let
their
hair
down.

But
the
force
is
strong
with
Nag
Ashwin’s

Kalki
2898
AD

whose
Hollywood
dystopia-meets-Hindu
mythology
gig
is
a
welcome
change
in
the

shuddh
desi

sci-fi
action
fantasy
genre.

Clearly
fanboying
at

Star
Wars

and

Mad
Max:
Fury
Road

in
its
aspiration,

Kalki
2898
AD’s

visual
pizzazz
and
wizardry
looks
at
everything
between

Avengers

and
anime.
But
its
world
building
is
most
pleasurable
when
following
its
own
path
and
roots.

The
makers
expect
the
viewers
to
be
reasonably
well-versed
in

Mahabharat

to
understand
the
impulses
of
its
key
players
drawn
from
two
of
the
most
tragic
heroes
of
the
epic.

What
unfolds
like
a
big
reveal
to
the
unversed
is
simply
a
case
of
connecting
the
dots.

A
running
time
of
three
hours
is
a
daunting
prospect
and

Kalki’s

indulgences
and
excesses
prolong
the
conflict
for
far
too
longer
than
required
in
its
excitement
to
overstuff
the
narrative
in
back
stories
teeming
in
star-studded
cameos
and
elusive
theories.
Except
the
movie
is
having
so
much
fun
with
the
add-ons,
it
doesn’t
hurt
to
play
along.

Comfortable
as
ever
in
larger-than-life
biggies,
Prabhas
puts
his
commanding
presence
to
good
use
as
the
greedy
bounty
hunter
unwilling
to
pick
sides.

The
strapping
star
may
be
the
face
of

Kalki
2898
AD’s

heroics
but
the
real
bang
for
your
buck
is
delivered
in
Amitabh
Bachchan’s
indefatigable
energy
providing

Kalki’s

biggest
wolf-whistle
moments.

Watching
the
veteran
in
action
at
80
plus
is
exhilarating.

Armed
with

shuddh

Hindi
and
towering
charisma,
he
energises
the
screen
as
the
undying
powerhouse.
Lifting
half
a
dozen
on
his
shoulders,
VFX
enabled
though
it
may
be,
is
still
a
robust
picture
of
the
man
who
immortalized

Saari
duniya
ka
bojh
hum
uthate
hain
.

Birth-giver
of
heroes
and
avatars,
be
it
Azad
in

Jawan

or
the
unborn
Vishnu
incarnate
growing
in
her
womb
in

Kalki
2898
AD
,
Deepika
Padukone
has
mastered
the
art
of
conveying
purposefulness
so
poignantly,
she
ends
up
looking
significant
even
in
a
passive
part.


Kalki
2898
AD
’s
slick
spectacle,
set
in
a
timeline
far,
far
away,
is
just
the
beginning
of
a
franchise
that’s
got
a
whole
lot
of
spirited
battles
on
its
mind.

Let’s
go.


Watch
out
for
the
full
review
in
just
a
bit!



Kalki
2898
AD

Review
Rediff
Rating: