Nag Ashwin reveals which Hollywood films inspired 'Kalki 2898 AD'
Nag Ashwin, the director of the epic Kalki 2898 AD, has shared the Hollywood inspirations behind the film during an interview with Zoom. Despite comparisons to Iron Man and Dune, Ashwin cited Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy as his main influences. The film, released on June 27, stars Prabhas, Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Deepika Padukone, and is a marriage of mythology with sci-fi.
Influence of 'Guardians...' and 'Star Wars'
Ashwin said, "We grew up watching Marvel films. Guardians of the Galaxy was more of an influence than Iron Man. Definitely, Star Wars is a huge influence, I love Star Wars so that is subconsciously part of my aesthetic." Also speaking about Haasan's look, he said, "Our references were these old Tibetan monks who are supposed to be 120 to 130 years old. Sir was always mentioning The Portrait of Dorian Gray, whenever we used to have a discussion."
Ashwin acknowledged character names inspired by popular films
Ashwin also acknowledged that two characters in Kalki 2898 AD were named after those from Star Wars and Harry Potter. Harshith Reddy's character was named Luke, a nod to Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. Similarly, Vinay Kumar's character was named Sirius, inspired by Sirius Black from Harry Potter. To note, while Kalki has been praised for its vision, it has been slammed for being "derivative" and for "copying" from Hollywood blockbusters.
'Kalki 2898 AD' has achieved box office success
Kalki 2898 AD has proven to be a box office hit, surpassing ₹800 crore worldwide and ₹500 crore domestically. Produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, it is reportedly India's most expensive film with a budget of ₹600 crore. The film also features a host of cameos by Dulquer Salmaan, SS Rajamouli, Ram Gopal Varma, Mrunal Thakur, and Vijay Deverakonda.
