The story of ‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ is set in the post-apocalyptic times. It is partly based on Kalki Purana And science-fiction is beautifully blended with Indian mythology. However, it is a completely fictional creation and is a reimagining of a world devoid of nature and full of darkness by director Nag Ashwin.

The film is set in Kashi, which is believed to be the first city of the world according to legends. Once famous for its supernaturalism, wisdom and divinity, the city has now turned into a barren piece of rotten land. Kashi’s life has been sucked out by the ‘Complex’, a huge futuristic building built by the ruler of the new world – Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan as the main antagonist). He is aware of his destiny and is on a mission to find a woman who can carry the fetus in her womb for at least 150 days.

It’s ‘Kalyug’ and all the fertile women on the planet are taken to the compound for a big experiment. When Yaskin’s team, which comprises the best minds from around the world, fails to find that one woman, he creates havoc. Meanwhile, his commander (Saswata Chatterjee) makes it his personal mission to find the magical city ‘Shambhala’, the only place left on Earth where Supreme Yaskin’s army has not reached, or in other words, has not created havoc.

Deepika Padukone enters as ‘Summa 80’, an employee working at the ‘complex’ who is given the job of helping provide food and medicine to the fertile women. Except that she, who was considered infertile for centuries, is five months pregnant. Sumati manages to hide her pregnancy in the complex for five months, but for how long?

In this world where darkness is swallowing everything – from beauty to humanity – there is a class of people called the ‘Rebels’ who are waiting for the final arrival of Lord ‘Kalki’ on earth. They believe in the old legends of the final incarnation of Lord Vishnu who will be born to destroy evil and above all, destroy everything that Supreme Yaskin stands for. Lord Kalki is expected to restore order to the world and bring back the things that make it worth living. Shambhala is the city of the rebels, and they have managed to keep it hidden from Supreme Yaskin and his army for a very long time. Until they can do so.

The journey of God from birth to the endKali Yuga‘ is not easy. As soon as the commander finds out about Sumathi’s pregnancy, he orders a bounty on her head. In this world deals are done in ‘units’. The bounty on Sumathi’s head is ‘5 million units’. Enter Prabhas’ Bhairava, a carefree orphan whose only motivation in life is ‘units’ (money). He starts following Sumathi to bring her to the campus and finally get his bounty. Little does he know that ‘Mother‘ is under the tutelage of Ashwatthama – one of the most ferocious warriors from the Mahabharata. Enter Amitabh Bachchan.

According to mythology, Ashwatthama was cursed by Lord Krishna and had to wander the earth with the sole purpose of protecting his next incarnation – Kalki. There are indications that he successfully readied and embarked on the mission of finding Sumati and protecting the foetus. His face-off with Bhairava is one of the most interesting moments in the film. And this happens twice.

In Nag Ashwin’s Kalki cinematic universe, the post-apocalyptic world witnesses multiple reincarnations. Will Ashwatthama be able to save Sumathi and her unborn child? Will Bhairava realise his true power? And will Supreme Yaskin be able to see the end of his world and eventually himself? It’s a creative fantasy where science-fiction meets Hindu PuranasAnd here, everything seems possible.