Nag Ashwin says Kalki 2898 AD connected with audiences beyond its scale

Filmmaker Nag Ashwin said the National Award recognition for Kalki 2898 AD was particularly gratifying because the film balanced its ambitious visual scale with emotional accessibility. He said audiences connected with its world while the team pursued a distinct Indian-rooted visual identity

Mumbai: Filmmaker Nag Ashwin said winning two National Awards for his 2024 film “Kalki 2898 AD” was particularly gratifying as the film managed to balance its ambitious scale with an emotional connection with mainstream audiences.

The Nag Ashwin directorial was honoured with two awards — Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Special Effects — setting a benchmark for visual-effects-heavy Indian cinema.

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Asked whether the honour made him reflect on whether the film’s greatest achievement was creating a technically ambitious world or making that world emotionally accessible to a mainstream audience, Nag Ashwin told IANS: “I feel very happy that we not only succeeded in taking on the visual and logistical challenge of creating a world of this scale, but also successfully managed to make that world emotionally accessible to audiences.”

He said he found it gratifying that many people connected with the film and fell in love with its world.

“The fact that millions of people connected with the film, fell in love with its world and its people, is very gratifying. For us, being able to achieve both those things makes the recognition even more special,” he said.

Nag Ashwin first won the National Award for Best Feature Film for the 2018 film “Mahanati”, starring Keerthy Suresh. “Kalki 2898 AD” has now brought him two more National Awards. [Award categories in this sentence require verification against the official award record.]

“We received the award for Production Design, which I feel we fully deserve. For us, the idea was always to create something that had its own visual identity rather than simply replicate something that already exists,” the filmmaker said.

He added: “We will continue to follow our path of trying to create a hybrid world that exists with Indian roots. I think that is what makes the world of Kalki 2898 AD unique to us.”

“Kalki 2898 AD” is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language epic mythological science-fiction film. It features an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Shobana and Disha Patani.

Inspired by Hindu scriptures, the film is the first instalment in the planned Kalki Cinematic Universe. Set in a dystopian future in 2898 AD in the city of Kashi, the story follows a group on a mission to protect the unborn child of lab subject SUM-80, who is believed to be Kalki, the final incarnation of Vishnu.