Kalki 2898 AD blends Star Wars with Hindu fantasy, plus a splash of RRR

Actor Amitabh Bachchan is a metaphorical large of Indian cinema, a famous person of proportions that dwarf even A-list American celebrities. Within the Indian sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD, his stature turns into literal: In his position because the 7-foot-tall immortal warrior Ashwatthama, the 81-year-old towers over his youthful co-stars, all of whom are attracts in their very own proper. (A helpful means for the uninitiated to measure the relative fame of an Indian actor is to notice the size of their introduction in a film — the larger the identify, the extra elaborate the doorway.) The sheer quantity of star energy on this movie is overwhelming, however that isn’t even essentially the most formidable factor about it.

Author-director Nag Ashwin means for Kalki 2898 AD to be nothing lower than the final word sci-fi epic. Its scope is large, masking 6,000 years of mythological historical past. Its run time is lengthy, telling the primary a part of a two-part story over three jam-packed hours. (To be honest, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune motion pictures aren’t a lot shorter.) And its manufacturing was costly — reportedly round $72 million, one of many greatest budgets ever for an Indian film. The filmmakers hope will probably be a crossover occasion akin to S.S. Rajamouli’s record-breaking hit RRR, not solely inside India’s disparate movie industries (Bachchan is named a Bollywood actor, whereas co-stars Prabhas and Kamal Haasan work in Telugu and Tamil movies, respectively) however internationally as nicely.

The movie’s look, rendered nearly solely via CGI, will definitely really feel acquainted to Western audiences, with components that recall the beloved sci-fi franchises Blade Runner, Star Wars, The Matrix, Dune, and particularly Mad Max: Fury Highway. The story is extra particularly Indian, taking the Hindu fantasy of Kalki — the tenth and ultimate incarnation of the god Vishnu, who will come to steer humanity into a brand new period of peace and justice — and transporting it to a dystopian sci-fi setting. However whereas references to magical weapons and folkloric heroes might go over the heads of all however the best-informed international viewers, the story’s arc follows the acquainted beats of a Chosen One narrative.

This primary chapter of the Kalki 2898 AD saga spends a lot of its run time organising its characters and world, starting with a caravan of refugees arriving within the futuristic metropolis of Kasi, the final outpost of civilization after droughts and air pollution have rendered many of the planet uninhabitable. Life is reasonable in Kasi, the place a single rooster egg fetches the identical value as a human being on the black market. The one exception is fertile ladies, who’ve turn into extraordinarily worthwhile on this dystopian future world: Each time one is found, she’s bought and shipped off to the Complicated, a floating pyramid above town, the place a rich minority hoard the few pure assets which can be left.

SUM-80 (Deepika Padukone) is certainly one of these ladies, and certainly one of a whole bunch who dwell as lab rats on the pleasure of Supreme Yaskin (Haasan), a 200-year-old tyrant who extends his life by extracting a serum from the wombs of impregnated feminine captives. The ladies die within the course of, however regardless of; their corpses are thrown into an incinerator, and new ladies take their place. SUM-80, understandably, desires to dwell, so she’s hiding her being pregnant from everybody round her. Nevertheless it’s been 5 months, and the sadistic docs who run this so-called Mission Ok will discover quickly.

Issues are grim another way outdoors of the Complicated, although affable bounty hunter Bhairava (Prabhas) does his greatest to maintain the temper mild. Indian movies usually mix genres, and though Kalki 2898 AD is extra serious-minded than most Bollywood fare — there are not any true musical numbers, sadly, although characters do lip-sync to Santhosh Narayanan’s unique songs — Bhairava and his wisecracking AI companion Bujji (Keerthy Suresh) carry much-needed, Star Wars-esque comedic banter to the movie. Bhairava is a Han Solo sort, motivated by self-interest and the pursuit of money, or “models.” Like Han, he’s additionally a ladykiller, as we study when the equally roguish Roxie (Disha Patani) enters the narrative.

At first, it isn’t clear how SUM-80, Bhairava, and 6,000-year-old badass Ashwatthama, who spends a lot of the film hiding out in a cave, are linked. It’s by no means doubtful that they’ll meet up finally, although, or that every of them will play their position in fulfilling the prophecy preached by a insurgent group residing in a hidden utopia generally known as Shambhala. Finally, the motion strikes to the rebels’ sacred retreat. However first, SUM-80 should race throughout the wastelands, pursued by each Supreme Yaskin’s flunkies and Bhairava, who plans to alternate this treasured hostage for admission to the Complicated.

A number of the digital backgrounds VFX supervisor Praveen Kilaru and his staff created for Kalki 2898 AD are completely gorgeous, and sci-fi followers who like nerding out on cool ships and badass autos will discover lots to get into right here. (The design for Bujji, who can remodel from a cool automobile to a cooler battle robotic, is particularly compelling.)

However the truth that that is simply the primary a part of a two-part story creates some critical structural points. The primary two hours of the movie move at a energetic however unhurried clip, however the ultimate hour tries to cram an excessive amount of into an already overstimulating epic battle scene. It feels panicky and confused because it rushes via essential plot developments and exposition.

Comparisons between Kalki and RRR are inevitable, if solely as a result of the previous is nakedly making an attempt to duplicate the success of the latter. However Nag Ashwin’s movie is lacking a number of of the weather that made RRR so charming: There’s no central bromance, no exhilarating dance sequences, and no sense of shock. There’s comedy, nevertheless it’s remoted in sure sections of the movie, and there’s a lot much less romance and music than audiences would possibly count on. It’s nonetheless an entertaining trip, with some cool imagery and thrilling chase scenes. However by channeling the gravitas of Western sci-fi motion pictures, Kalki 2898 AD loses a number of the vary that makes Indian motion pictures particular. Its ambition is to be applauded. Its self-seriousness, not a lot.

Kalki 2898 AD is in theaters worldwide now.