Kalki 2898 AD: From Ashwatthama to Parshuram, 7 Mahabharata characters in Nag Ashwin's mythological sci-fi

In Pic: Kalki 2898 AD poster

Kalki 2898 AD is impressing the audience with its massive scale and epic storyline. The Nag Ashwin directorial has managed to surpass Rs 200 crores in box office collections in just three days in India. The film, which stars Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan in the lead roles, has been gaining love from the audience across the country. Viewers are loving how Nag Ashwin has managed to blend Indian mythology with sci-fi in this dystopian film.

The film is based on the legend of Kalki, as mentioned in the end of Mahabharat. Kalki is the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, who is supposed to appear in the end of Kali Yuga, to restore dharma. The film references Mahabharat repeatedly, recreating scenes from the epic battle between Kauravas and Pandavas which add to the intriguing storyline.

Here are 7 characters from Mahabharat that Nag Ashwin has included in his sci-fi thriller:

Amitabh Bachchan- Ashwatthama

The obvious one, Amitabh Bachchan, is seen playing Ashwatthama. In Mahabharat, he was said to be cursed by Lord Krishna for his attempt to kill the unborn child of Uttara, wife of Abhimanyu (son of Arjun). Lord Krishna cursed Ashwatthama to roam the earth until the end of the Kali Yuga, with pus oozing out of his wounds, asking for death, but death wouldn't meet him.

Krishnakumar Balasubramanian - Krishna

Although the face of the actor playing Lord Krishna's role hasn't been shown in the film, reports say it is Krishnakumar Balasubramanian who has played the role. There is no explanation needed for the significance Lord Krishna has in Mahabharat. He was the one who had announced the biggest battle, and in Kalki 2898 AD, we see Krishna's character appearing multiple times.

Vijay Deverakonda - Arjun

Nag Ashwin has managed to bring the Telugu superstar to make a cameo in his multi-starrer. Vijay is seen in scenes of the battle of Kurukshetra, fighting with valour as the brave warrior from the epic.

Prabhas - Karna

While till the very end of the film we all believed that Prabhas would be the reincarnation of Bhairava, Nag Ashwin managed to surprise us all by showing Prabhas as Karna. Mythologically, Karna is the only one who could use Vijaya, his weapon. In Kalki, when Ashwatthama accidentally drops the weapon and it touches Prabhas' hand, it enlightens and regains its power. This is when Ashwatthama realizes that Bhairav is none other than his friend Karna.

Dulquer Salmaan - Parshurama

Looking at Prabhas as Karna made us realise the possibility of Dulquer Salmaan's character being inspired by Parshurama. Here's how: Dulquer's character is introduced as a captain who brings up Bhairava and teaches him the ways of life. Years later, when Bhairava is all grown up, surprisingly, the captain doesn't age. As per mythology, Parashurama was Karna's guru and Kalki and is said never to age.

Deepika Padukone - Sumati

Deepika Padukone's character's name is Sum-80, which seems to be inspired by Sumati. As per mythology, Sumathi will give birth to Kalki, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu, who will destroy evil forces and set the new Yug in motion.

Malvika Nair - Uttara

Malvika Nair plays the character of Uttara in a small scene in Kalki 2898 AD. In Mahabharat, it was Ashwatthama who tried to kill Uttara's child in her womb, and was cursed for this heinous attempt by Lord Krishna.