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

Actor Amitabh Bachchan is a metaphorical big of Indian cinema, a celebrity 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 manner 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 bold 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 big, overlaying 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 films aren’t a lot shorter.) And its manufacturing was costly — reportedly round $72 million, one of many largest 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 called 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 virtually solely by means of 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 Street. The story is extra particularly Indian, taking the Hindu fantasy of Kalki — the tenth and closing 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 could 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 a lot of the planet uninhabitable. Life is affordable in Kasi, the place a single rooster egg fetches the identical worth as a human being on the black market. The one exception is fertile ladies, who’ve change into extraordinarily beneficial on this dystopian future world: Every time one is found, she’s offered and shipped off to the Complicated, a floating pyramid above town, the place a rich minority hoard the few pure sources which can be left.

SUM-80 (Deepika Padukone) is certainly one of these ladies, and certainly one of lots of who reside 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 irrespective of; their corpses are thrown into an incinerator, and new women take their place. SUM-80, understandably, desires to reside, 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 Venture Ok will discover quickly.

Issues are grim otherwise outdoors of the Complicated, although affable bounty hunter Bhairava (Prabhas) does his finest to maintain the temper gentle. 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 authentic songs — Bhairava and his wisecracking AI companion Bujji (Keerthy Suresh) convey 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 related. It’s by no means unsure that they’ll meet up ultimately, although, or that every of them will play their position in fulfilling the prophecy preached by a insurgent group dwelling in a hidden utopia often called 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 change this valuable hostage for admission to the Complicated.

Among the digital backgrounds VFX supervisor Praveen Kilaru and his group created for Kalki 2898 AD are completely gorgeous, and sci-fi followers who like nerding out on cool ships and badass automobiles will discover quite a bit 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 severe structural points. The primary two hours of the movie move at a vigorous however unhurried clip, however the closing hour tries to cram an excessive amount of into an already overstimulating epic battle scene. It feels panicky and confused because it rushes by means of 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 copy the success of the latter. However Nag Ashwin’s movie is lacking just a few of the weather that made RRR so charming: There’s no central bromance, no exhilarating dance sequences, and no sense of shock. There may be comedy, but it surely’s remoted in sure sections of the movie, and there’s a lot much less romance and music than audiences may count on. It’s nonetheless an entertaining experience, with some cool imagery and thrilling chase scenes. However by channeling the gravitas of Western sci-fi films, Kalki 2898 AD loses a number of the vary that makes Indian films particular. Its ambition is to be applauded. Its self-seriousness, not a lot.

Kalki 2898 AD is in theaters worldwide now.