At the highly anticipated pre-release event for ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ in Mumbai, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who portrays Ashwatthama in the film, was honored with the first-day, first-show ticket. In a touching gesture, Big B received the ticket from producer C Aswani Dutt and handed over the money to him. When asked who he would like to give the ticket to, Amitabh warmly replied, “I would like to give it to my dear friend, my colleague, and my brother Kamal Haasan.”
Kamal Haasan, upon receiving the ticket from Amitabh, shared his wishful sentiment, “I wish this had happened about four or five decades ago and he had given me the first-day first-show ticket for Sholay. I have to wait for three weeks to see this film…”
The event was a star-studded affair with appearances by Deepika Padukone, Prabhas, and Rana Daggubati.
In addition to this touching moment, the event also featured the unveiling of the ‘Bhairava Anthem’ from the film. This energetic track showcases Telugu superstar and lead actor Prabhas dancing alongside popular Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh. Both actors are seen twinning in traditional Punjabi attire, with Prabhas donning a turban. Diljit shared a teaser of the song on Instagram, expressing excitement for the Panjab-South collaboration. The anthem, sung by Diljit Dosanjh and Vijaynarain, with lyrics by Kumaar and music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, captures the essence of Prabhas’s character Bhairava in the film.
The filmmakers had earlier released a teaser of Amitabh Bachchan’s look from the sci-fi dystopian film during an IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The 21-second teaser featured Big B in warm earthy tones, seated in a cave, praying to a Shiva linga, and covered in bandages. A young child in the clip asks, “Are you God? Can you not die?” to which Amitabh’s character replies, “Since the Dwapar Yug, I have waited for the Dasavatar. I am Ashwatthama, the son of Dronacharya.”
Directed by Nag Ashwin, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ is a post-apocalyptic film inspired by Hindu scriptures and set in the year 2898 AD. The trailer suggests a futuristic reimagining of the Mahabharat with a dystopian twist. The film features a stellar cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, and Disha Patani, and is set to hit theaters on June 27.
