Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu: [kəlkɪ]) is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language epic mythological science-fiction film[5][6] directed by Nag Ashwin and produced by Vyjayanthi Movies.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2898 AD, the film follows a select group who are on a mission to save lab subject SUM-80's unborn child, Kalki.

The film has music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, cinematography handled by Serbian cinematographer Djordje Stojiljkovic and editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.

For committing the act, Krishna, the 8th avatar of Vishnu, curses him to roam the earth as an immortal and witness humanity's misery as a result of societal and moral deterioration during the Kali Yuga.

His divine gem is also taken from his forehead, and his redemption is destined to occur only by protecting the mother of Kalki, Vishnu's 10th and final avatar, towards the end of the Kali Yuga.

[c] In 2898 AD, 6000 years after the events of the Kurukshetra War, Kasi stands as the last known city in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by Supreme Yaskin, a 200-year-old totalitarian god king.

His authority is enforced by Commander Manas, Counsellor Bani, and an army of soldiers who guard against threats, particularly rebels from the hidden city of Shambhala,[d] who believe in the prophesied arrival of Kalki.

In this dystopian society, fertile female refugees in Kasi are forcibly taken to the Complex for Project K, an experiment aimed at producing a secretive serum for Yaskin through artificially inseminated foetuses.

In a mid-credits scene, Yaskin uses the drop of serum extracted from Sumathi's foetus on himself, partially gaining the power of the unborn Kalki and becoming a youthful superhuman.

Adapted from the opening and closing credits:[11] After the success of Mahanati in 2019, Nag Ashwin stated that he had been working on an original story, for which screenplay he used a long time on.

[42] Singeetam Srinivasa Rao joined as a mentor, contributing elements of his planned mythological script on Lord Krishna and providing creative inputs to the project.

[48] Amitabh Bachchan was confirmed to play an important role, in his Telugu film debut as he had previously only made cameo appearances in Manam (2014) and Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019).

[62] Harshith Malgireddy, Kavya Ramachandran, Ayaz Pasha, Anil George, Keya Nair, Vinay Kumar, Venkata Ramana, Hamish Boyd and Sanghawa Shin were present during the film's preliminary shooting schedule.

[63] Dulquer Salmaan, Vijay Deverakonda, Mrunal Thakur, S. S. Rajamouli, Ram Gopal Varma and K. V. Anudeep briefly had respective cameo appearances.

[69] Prabhas was expected to start filming his solo portions in April 2022,[70] however, his knee surgery led to a delay of his upcoming projects including Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD.

[77] On 20 July 2023 at San Diego Comic-Con, Nag Ashwin revealed that while the film was mostly shot in Telugu, they were also reshooting some scenes in Hindi to make them more impactful.

[104] On 30 April 2024, Prabhas took fans of cinema and cricket by surprise as he appeared as Bhairava for an IPL promotional video during Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians.

[105] On 2 May 2024, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in his character of Ashwatthama where he delivered a motivational speech to the Indian cricket team as they prepare for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

[106] On 22 May 2024, in an event in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, a teaser introducing Prabhas' Robot sidekick AI humanoid vehicle "Bujji" was released.

[108] On 27 May 2024, the makers and Amazon Prime Video announced a two-part animated prelude, titled Bujji and Bhairava, which was released on the platform on 31 May 2024 as part of the Kalki Cinematic Universe.

The website's consensus reads: "A colourful spectacle that competes with Hollywood blockbusters while retaining its own distinctive flavor, Kalki 2898 AD marks a rousing breakthrough in Tollywood sci-fi cinema.

[167] A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote, "On the whole, Kalki 2898 AD stands as a grandiose spectacle that depicts the future like never before in Indian cinema and also merges mythology seamlessly, thereby delivering a unique experience to the audiences.

"[168] Chirag Sehgal of News18 gave 4/5 stars and wrote, "It combines action with visual spectacle and mythology with technology and science – which makes the film worth watching.

"[169] Goutam S of Pinkvilla gave 4/5 stars and wrote, "If you are a lover of films which has a grand scale, [sic] epic narration, amazing visuals, groundbreaking performances, and unbelievable storytelling, then surely watch this feast of a movie in the screens near you.

"[171] Janani K of India Today gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Like Baahubali, Kalki 2898 AD ends on a cliffhanger and paves the way for a new cinematic world altogether.

"[172] Collider in its review said, "Kalki 2898 AD is a unique sci-fi epic that successfully combines supernatural elements with cutting-edge technology", while appreciating performances of the lead cast particularly Prabhas and Bachchan, and the screenplay by Nag Ashwin.

"[174] Ronek Kotecha of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote, "The film’s visual quality is so high that it overshadows many of its obvious flaws by engaging the audience into the atmospherics of the make-believe world of Kasi and the Complex.

"[177] Bunbury of Deadline Hollywood wrote, "It is terrific, cathartic fun – and, given that Vishnu’s next avatar has apparently yet to be born, what is described in the marketing blurbs as the Kalki Cinematic Universe can be expected to rage, burn and rip-roar for a good few editions yet, leaving audiences happily flattened with exhaustion" and praised Nag Ashwin's work.

[178] B. V. S. Prakash of Deccan Chronicle gave 3/5 stars and wrote, "Director Nag Ashwin had a reason to cast big guns like Amitabh and Kamal to carry unthinkable roles and it paid off.

"[179] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "It falls back on the sheer sweep of mounting and execution to make up for what lacks in terms of the writing.