Kalki Director Nag Ashwin on Working With Amitabh Bachchan

As Kalki 2898 AD premieres on Prime Video, director Nag Ashwin opens up about his experience working with Amitabh Bachchan

Hyderabad: Director Nag Ashwin’s visionary film, Kalki 2898 AD created a rage at the box office, breaking several records and setting new benchmarks in the Indian film industry. The genre-bending film cemented its place in the hearts of critics and audiences alike with its ingenious blend of science fiction and Indian mythology, reigning supreme as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 so far. After witnessing an unparalleled run on the silver screen, this cinematic spectacle just launched on Prime Video today in the original language—Telugu—with dubs in Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam, and with subtitles in English. Despite boasting powerhouse performances by a star-studded cast, the legendary Amitabh Bachchan stole the spotlight with his towering presence and exemplary portrayal of the immortal Ashwatthama. As Kalki 2898 AD makes its global streaming premiere on Prime Video amid much anticipation, Nag Ashwin sheds some light on his unforgettable experience working with Big B.

Nag Ashwin shares, I think Bachchan sir was, is a legend and he was extremely gracious in how much patience he had with us as a team and as a very young team actually trying to pull off something that usually somebody from his generation might not be very comfortable, with so much CG, so much green screen, but he was extremely gracious and patient with the whole process, he would come, sit and wait while we figured out. Some stuff took longer than we planned and his experience, especially in the action parts, I think shows on screen, which is why people enjoy it so much.”

Kalki 2898 AD marks the first installment in the Kalki Cinematic Universe. Set against the backdrop of 2898 AD, the film unfolds in the now-barren Kashi, deemed the first city in the world. Amid a dystopian era ruled by Supreme Yaskin, SUM80 rises like a dawn of hope as the bearer of Lord Kalki, the tenth and final avatar of Lord Vishnu, putting Yaskin’s reign in jeopardy. But the big question still looms: will SUM80 be able to protect her life with the help of Bhairava, Ashwatthama, and a motley bunch of rebels from Shambhala? or will she fall prey to Yaskin’s mysterious Project K?

Directed by Nag Ashwin, and produced by Priyanka Dutt, C. Aswani Dutt, and Swapna Dutt under the banner of Vyjayanthi Movies, Kalki 2989 AD features Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, and Disha Patani, among many others, in pivotal roles. This action-adventure film is streaming now on Prime Video in Telugu with dubs in Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam with subtitles in English.