Kalki 2898 AD is galloping towards box office immortality, having crossed Rs 1000 crore worldwide (as per the makers) and is on course to break several more records. The film’s success and craze amongst the fans has meant that many are now awaiting the sequel and also wondering if the proposed Kalki Cinematic Universe will have spinoffs and series too.
Kalki 2898 AD is set in a dystopian 29th century Kashi where the forces of evil, led by tyrant Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan) are trying to prevent the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu – Kalki. Apart from the lead stars – Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, and Deepika Padukone – the film has several starry cameos and introduces new worlds and settings. In an exclusive chat with DNA, director Nag Ashwin opens up on the possibilities of spinoffs in the franchise.
“There are so many characters in this world that can have a spinoff. I haven’t written anything yet or even thought about it. But it just feels there is so much potential,” says Ashwin. The director feels that characters like Dulquer Salmaan’s Pilot, Shobana’s Mariam, and Pasupathy’s Veeran have scope for spinoffs. Ashwin explains, “You could always go back into Dulquer’s story for instance and what he was up to. You could go back to Mariam and Veeran’s youth and see what there early wars were like, whether they fought Manas earlier. You could see Veeran on a different mission.”
The filmmaker says that if writers and makers can invest in the world that he has created, the possibilities of spinoff stories are endless. “It’s just that when you invest in this world and these characters, then there is a possibility to do a lot of things,” says Nag Ashwin.
Even before the release of Kalki 2898 AD, the film had seen its first spinoff – a two-part animated series called Bujji & Bhairava. The show, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video, told the backstory of Prabhas’ Bhairava and how he came to be associated with the AI supercar Bujji (voiced by Keerthy Suresh).
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