Nag Ashwin on Deepika Padukone’s fire scene: It was a reference to Krishna’s birth
Nag Ashwin talks about the inspiration behind Deepika Padukone’s fire scene in ‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ and compares it to the birth of Krishna. Speaking to IndiaToday.in, the filmmaker also spoke about the film’s comparisons to ‘Dune’ and ‘Game of Thrones’.
‘Kalki 2898 AD’ director Nag Ashwin spoke to IndiaToday.in about the famous scene where Deepika Padukone walks through a tunnel of fire. While the film has been compared to Hollywood films like ‘Dune’ and ‘Star Wars’, others compared the frame to Daenerys’ fire scene in ‘Game of Thrones’.
In an exclusive conversation with IndiaToday.in, filmmaker Nag Ashwin discussed the iconic scene from the film and expressed his views on the comparisons. He said, “It’s one of my favourite scenes; I think probably the most favourite scene. But the way we shot it, it was very rushed. We were shooting three setups that day and Deepika (Padukone) had to leave on a certain flight. Usually it happens that some of the most important or magical things in a film happen by chance or in a rush. And this was that. And, but just watching it in that rush, in that hurry and everything, when you reach the monitor and you see Deepika walking through that particular tunnel in that fire, I just knew it was going to be special.”
He further added that he had asked Deepika to take a leap of faith in that scene, “It was a kind of leap of faith. It was like walking in and surrendering to a greater power. It was a reference to the birth of Krishna. And that was how Vasudev took a leap of faith. It was everything.”
He further added, “Deepika is a super-smart actor. You just need to give her a little bit and she knows what the brief is. I really felt that the last pose that she takes at the end of the tunnel when it’s about to be the interval, felt like a strong scene to me. I felt that could be something that would live on beyond me or the film as a poster. And I just told her that and she was telling me that this is the only thing that she still remembers.”
Referring to the reference to Queen Khaleesi, Nag said, “There are a lot of parallels being drawn. But my only inspiration was the birth of Krishna, like how the river parted for him. It was the same idea and it was like playing it with a different element this time and trying to connect it with different characters. But I see how one can draw comparisons, though I don’t think Khaleesi has done anything like what she (Deepika) did. I love ‘Game of Thrones’. So it feels good to be compared to things like ‘Star Wars’, ‘Game of Thrones’. No complaints at all.”
‘Kalki 2898 AD’ released on June 27 and is expected to soon cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally.