Happy 1 PKE (Post Kalki Era)

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 June 27, 2024. Somehow, it’s already been a year since Kalki 2898AD was released. I still remember the Rapido bike taxi I took from my home to the theatre. The Rapido anna asked me if I was going to Kalki, and asked me how I got tickets. I feel like I’ve said all I could about Kalki. But it’s Kalki’s first anniversary, so I feel like I have to write something. 


Theories:


  1. One of my favourite headcanon is about Supreme Yaskin’s origins. I think that he was an astronaut. This is supported by some visuals from the film. The complex symbol has a person who looks like he’s wearing a spacesuit. There’s also the ruins of some massive infrastructure which have long towers which look like launchpads. I’m guessing there was a space station there. So, my theory is that Yaskin was an astronaut around 160 years ago, because according to Rumi (Rajendra Prasad), Yaskin is 200 years old. I think Yaskin was sent to find planets and destroy whatever was there to make it habitable for human beings. 40 year old Yaskin was probably like Nagi, an environmentalist. But he was so frustrated at the people of the world for their carelessness towards nature and the universe. He probably found a plant of some kind on a planet he visited which gave him super intelligence or something. I don’t think it was physical advantages the plant gave because Yaskin’s body is what is keeping him tethered to the complex and all that setup. Using his newfound powers, he started what he thought would be a revolution, but eventually turned into a war which almost destroyed the world. Carried away by his “noble” cause, he established an empire, much like Palpatine’s from Star Wars, and he rules the planet with the help of Commander Manas. Unfortunately, his human body can’t live on forever, so he finds ways to extend his lifespan. He uses 4 different bodies and the one we see in the movie is the 5th. But time’s running out for the 5th one, he has to figure out a better alternative. So he creates a serum which combines the essence of life and his super intelligence. The essence of life is at its peak for unborn babies in the womb. So he creates a system where fertile women are kept hostage, and are extracted once the time is right. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t realize that an average human can’t tolerate the power of the serum. Enter SUM-80/Sumathi. The child within her is growing without being detected by the Complex. After the events of part 1, Yaskin gains powers from the 1 drop extracted from Sumathi’s child. Now, Yaskin’s aim is to extract more, or to eliminate the child now that he knows there’s a more powerful being rising. Which is also why he banned God in Kasi, knowing that if people stop believing in a power stronger than him, it will result in hope being extinguished from people’s lives, which will make them consider Yaskin as their God.










  1. My second headcanon is that Bhairava's reason for going to the complex is more interesting than just units. Because Bhairava is Karna in the Kaliyugam, he must also have some qualities of Karna, at least subconsciously. I don’t think he wants the units for himself. If we are to believe the story of him and DQ’s Captain, who was his father figure, then I think Bhairava wants to release him, hoping that he’s still alive. He realizes that he needs the company of Captain, because that’s when he never had to worry about anything in life. For releasing him, he needs a lot of units. So he acts this way. 


  1. A place called Flux Lands is mentioned by Veeran when Sumathi reaches Shambala. Flux Lands could be some kind of place affected by nuclear warfare. The people who were affected by radioactive energy turned into dangerous cannibals, who came to be called Nomen. I have a feeling that’s where Bujji, Bhairava and Sumathi land at the start of part 2. 


  1. How I think the series will end: The obvious theory is that it’ll end with the birth of Kalki. Additionally, I think Bhairava and Ashwatthama are going to die. Ashwatthama has to attain moksha after fulfilling his goal. Bhairava, on the other hand, will probably learn something which changes him completely, which will mostly be the fact that he’s a version of Karna. He will help the rebels overthrow Yaskin and the Complex. Another theory is that Bhairava and Karna will remain two separate characters within Bhairava and he never comes to know of it. After Karna fulfills his purpose, he will cease to exist. Now that I think about it, this kinda sounds like the plot of Manichitrathazhu/Chandramukhi, so I doubt Nagi will do this.


I think the best thing that happened after the movie was the discourse. People were fighting about Karna vs Arjuna, and sometimes the whole point became diluted and they started blaming Nagi for spreading misinformation. Firstly, yes, Arjuna is the superior warrior. But we have to realize that it’s Ashwatthama speaking, so he’s biased. Even if you take Ashwa out of the equation, the movie is inspired from the events of the Mahabharata. It’s not the actual text in movie form (Rajamouli is going to do that one). So I think we can forgive Nagi. 


Apparently, the Japanese set of the Mahabharata was sold out on Amazon, and it’s amazing what movies can do. As I was following the movie and the discussions surrounding it, I realized that there’s so many people who are so ignorant about India’s greatest stories. This movie is a way to pique their curiosity. 


I love some of the choices taken by the team, I’m just going to listen them out.


  1. Krishna’s representation: I always thought Lord Vishnu and his avatars were blue in colour. This is because popular media has always portrayed him as such. The name “Krishna” literally means dark skinned and I loved that they showed him as such. Also, the decision to show only his silhouette makes his presence feel so much more God-like. 


  1. Titles: Again, another great way to generate interest about the Mahabharata. Santosh Narayanan’s score is brilliant here.


  1. Character and set design: All the characters in the movie are designed and casted so well. Giving Bhairava and his part of Kashi a very desi cyberpunk vibe was so cool. His hairdo and him always wearing the armour, just like Karna does, looks so perfect. Supreme Yaskin’s terrifying appearance (I legit had 2 nightmares about him) and his chamber, along with the rest of the Complex, looked like they could be our distant future. My favourite character design is Ashwa’s. He looks like he’s been through 6000 years of hell. The rebels, all of them unique by the way, and Shambala, are given a very Buddhist vibe, and you can tell that they’re spiritual. Shambala’s tree supporting their ecosystem sounds very mythical and it works so well. I love how the movie looks and the vibes it gives. Oh, also, the weapons. They are SO cool. Especially the one Kyra uses.


  1. Bujji: Bujji is my favourite character after Ashwa. She’s like R2-D2 from Star Wars, but I like Bujji more. She’s a car, a plane, a droid and your personal roast machine. I don’t know about other languages, but I loved the Telugu version. I’ve heard complaints from people about how it was annoying and not funny, but eh. I loved it. I like how it actually looks like something built from scrap.


  1. Cameos: Look, I know they can take you out of the movie. I know there’s too many. But I wanna quote Tarantino here. Quentin Tarantino was once asked why there’s so much violence in his movies. He said, “BECAUSE IT’S SO MUCH FUN”. So yeah, Nagi always kept saying how he made the movie for his younger self, and you know what I think he made it for the child within all of us. And all kid-me wanted to do was have fun. Now me also, but life happened. My favourite cameo is Rajamouli’s. It’s just so meta funny, and I can imagine the fun they must’ve had on sets while shooting it. 



Nagi spent 600 crores for the kid inside him. I’d also do something like that if given the opportunity. Not everyday are you excited to wake up in the morning in the anticipation of something. I’d like to say a big thank you to Nagi and the team for giving me 4 years of that feeling. Thanks for existing Nagi. I love you.





By the way, an example of how obsessed I am with this is that if you count the number of words before this sentence, it’s 1449. Half of 2898. Because words can only express half the love I have for this. 

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