Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu: [kəlkɪ]) is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language epic science fiction film directed by Nag Ashwin and produced by Vyjayanthi Movies. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, and Disha Patani. Inspired by Hindu scriptures, it is the first instalment in a planned Kalki Cinematic Universe. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2898 AD, the film follows a select group who are on a mission to save lab subject SUM-80's unborn child, Kalki.
The film was officially announced in February 2020 and had working title as Project K. Principal photography commenced a year later in July 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic. It was shot sporadically over the next three years extensively in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad and wrapped by late-May 2024. The official title was announced in July 2023. The film has music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, cinematography handled by Serbian cinematographer Djordje Stojiljkovic and editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.
Kalki 2898 AD was initially scheduled to release on 9 May 2024, but was postponed due to unfinished post-production work. It was released worldwide on 27 June 2024 in standard, IMAX, 3D and 4DX formats. With a ₹600 crore production budget, it is the most expensive Indian film ever made. The film has grossed est.₹1,100–1,200 crore globally and has set multiple box office records for an Indian and Telugu film, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 and the third highest-grossing Telugu film. It was featured at the 55th IFFI in the Indian Panorama Mainstream section. Following the Kurukshetra War, Ashwatthama attempts to kill Uttarā's unborn child. For committing the act, Krishna, the 8th avatar of Vishnu, curses him to roam the earth as an immortal and witness humanity's misery as a result of societal and moral deterioration during the Kali Yuga. His divine gem is also taken from his forehead, and his redemption is destined to occur only by protecting the mother of Kalki, Vishnu's 10th and final avatar, towards the end of the Kali Yuga. In 2898 AD, 6000 years after the events of the Kurukshetra War, Kasi stands as the last known city in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by Supreme Yaskin, a 200-year-old totalitarian god king. Yaskin rules from the 'Complex', an inverted-pyramid megastructure that floats above the city. His authority is enforced by Commander Manas, Counsellor Bani, and an army of soldiers who guard against threats, particularly rebels from the hidden city of Shambhala,[d] who believe in the prophesied arrival of Kalki. In this dystopian society, fertile female refugees in Kasi are forcibly taken to the Complex for Project K, an experiment aimed at producing a secretive serum for Yaskin through artificially inseminated foetuses. However, the serum does not become potent until after a 150-day gestation period, and none of the foetuses have survived for that long, nor do the pregnant women survive the extraction procedure.
Raia, a young girl disguised as a boy, narrowly escapes conscription into Project K with the help of Shambhalan rebels. Raia finds refuge in a cave where she encounters Ashwatthama. She unknowingly brings him his divine gem, which had inadvertently come into her possession during her escape. After placing the gem in his forehead, Ashwatthama becomes aware that a woman is pregnant with Kalki. Together, the duo set out to find her.
Meanwhile, at the Complex, SUM-80, a Project K subject hiding her 150-day pregnancy, is outed and forced to undergo the extraction procedure. Manas extracts a single drop of serum from her foetus before she is rescued by Shambhalan rebels, who rename her Sumathi. En route to Shambhala their transport is ambushed by bounty hunters and raiders, but they fend them off. Bhairava, a bounty hunter, remains in pursuit with his AI supercar, Bujji.
Soldiers from the Complex corner Sumathi and the rebels. Ashwatthama and Bhairava arrive and defeat the soldiers, before fighting each other for the custody of Sumathi, who is revealed to be the mother of Kalki. Despite Bhairava's best efforts, Ashwatthama subdues him and the party reaches Shambhala, where the tree of life blooms in Kalki's presence. Ashwatthama reveals to Raia that his walking stick is a dormant weapon, the Vijaya Dhanush, that belonged to his friend Karna, a warrior from the Kurukshetra War. Meanwhile, Bhairava makes a deal with Manas to capture Sumathi in exchange for entry into the Complex.
Bhairava tricks a rebel into taking him to Shambala, then disguises himself as Ashwatthama and convinces Sumathi to flee Shambhala with him, but is intercepted by the real Ashwatthama. As they fight, Manas and his soldiers reach Shambhala and breach its defences. Shambhala's leader, Mariam, attempts to protect Sumathi, but she is killed by Manas, while his soldiers overwhelm the Shambhalan rebels. Ashwatthama and Bhairava save Sumathi during the ensuing chaos, but a distrustful Ashwatthama knocks Bhairava unconscious. Ashwatthama is then captured and restrained by Manas. Ashwatthama's walking stick and a leaf from the tree of life subsequently falls into the unconscious Bhairava's hand, which reawakens both the weapon and Bhairava, revealing him to be a reincarnation or descendant of Karna. Empowered by Karna's bow, in a trance-like state, Bhairava effortlessly defeats the invading soldiers and kills Manas. Bhairava is brought out of his trance by Bujji and takes Sumathi away, as Ashwatthama looks on.
In a mid-credits scene, Yaskin uses the drop of serum extracted from Sumathi's foetus on himself, partially gaining the power of the unborn Kalki and becoming a youthful superhuman. He picks up Arjuna's bow, Gandiva, and pledges to reshape the world.
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