It seems that Kalki 2898 AD is all set to create history at the box-office.
Tickets for the Prabhas-Deepika Padukone-Amitabh Bachchan-Kamal Haasan sci-fi fantasy, which released yesterday, have been selling like hot cakes, according to reports.
The Hindustan Times reported that tickets are selling for as high as Rs2,300 ($37) in cities like Mumbai. The sum almost matches the Rs2,400 fans paid for the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan in September 2023.
The surge in advance bookings has overwhelmed the ticket-booking platform BookMyShow, causing it to crash in Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka due to the high demand.
Directed by Nag Ashwin, Kalki 2898 AD is a mythological sci-fi film produced by Ashwini Dutt’s Vyjayanthi Movies, reported the Hindustan Times.
The film gained international acclaim when its teaser premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con last year.
Recently, filmmaker Karan Johar shared the film’s second trailer on his Instagram handle and wrote: “The grandest spectacle of the big screen awaits...packed with powerful and glorious performances by my favourite artists in the industry. I cannot wait for this to be unleashed to all!!!!”
Telugu auteur S.S. Rajamouli, who also directed Prabhas in two blockbusters Baahubali & Baahubali: The Beginning, also gave a shoutout.
“Power packed trailer it is,” he said. “It sets the right mood and tone to watch the film. Amitabh ji, Darling (Prabhas) and Deepika’s characters seem to have a lot of depth and are truly intriguing.”
Set in a dystopian future, Kalki is about three individuals fighting to save the world from a great evil entity. It features Amitabh as the immortal Ashwatthama, an immortal character from ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, and Prabhas as Bhairava, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu.
The storyline is about the wealthy living in luxury within The Complex, a massive mega-city structure in the shape of an inverted pyramid that towers over Kasi. Those outside face harsh realities and aspire to make it into Kasi. A hidden refuge, Shambala, offers shelter for people from all cultures and religions.
In Hindu mythology, Kalki is the 10th and final incarnation of the god Vishnu who appears in order to end the Kali Yuga, the darkest period in mankind’s history, reported The Times of India.
The action drama marks the Telugu debut of Bollywood stars Deepika and Amitabh and their first collaboration with Telugu superstar Prabhas. It also features Tamil cinema legend Kamal and Bengali actor Saswata Chatterjee as antagonists.
“It’s been a truly wonderful experience to have worked in a setup where they’ve actually gone beyond thinking what most of us have been doing all our lives in the film industry,” Amitabh said. “And I really appreciate the fact that we’re moving a little ahead of times, and making us a part of that and making us work in conditions that we never thought we would be able to work.”
Kamal, who plays the antagonist Supreme Yaskin, said: “I always wanted to play the bad man because the bad man gets to do all the good things in the film, when heroes are singing romantic songs and waiting for the heroine, where you can just go and do what you want.”
Heavily pregnant Deepika, who is due in September and plays a pregnant character named Sumathi, said: “It’s been a great learning experience. A completely new world and we went through different phases of discovering what this movie is all about. The magic that is in Nagi’s (Ashwin) head is now here finally for everyone to see.”
Prabhas, who plays the protagonist Bhairava, said that working with his co-stars and a production of this scale was “bigger than a dream.”
While a budget for the film has not been officially revealed, Variety reported that it is in the region of Rs600 crore ($97 million). If correct, that would make it one of the most expensive Indian films of all time.
The film, which released in Telugu and Hindi with dubbed versions in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and English and in a variety of formats including 3D, 4DX and IMAX, is expected to make a grand opening at the box office.
According to trade website Sacnilk, it could be the third Indian film (behind RRR and Baahubali 2) to “take the opening of Rs200 crores at the worldwide box office on June 27”.
Sacnilk posted: “Kalki 2898 AD is expected to take the opening of R120-140 crore gross in India. In Telugu states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), the movie is expected to open in the range of Rs90-100 crore. In North India, it is expected to take Rs20 crore, while Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are likely to give a Rs15+ crore start.”
