‘Kalki 2898 AD’ is only the third feature film of director Nag Ashwin and already his work is being discussed all over the world. His previous film ‘Mahanati’ won the National Film Award for Best Telugu Film. In the film ‘Kalki 2898’, an imaginary car Bujji also plays an important role and during the shooting of the film, Nag Ashwin thought that can this car be made in reality? He tweeted. Industrialist Anand Mahindra made arrangements to make his vision come true and the Bujji car actually came off the ground on Wednesday. After the launch of Bujji, who played an important role in the film ‘Kalki 2898’, director Nag Ashwin had this exclusive conversation with Pankaj Shukla, advisory editor of ‘Amar Ujala’.
The Bujji car is very huge to look at, what are its other specialties?
This car that we have shown in Hyderabad today is a marvel of the imagination of Indian engineers. Anand Mahindra’s team helped us in this and we were able to make it, this is its biggest specialty. We are going to take this car to small cities across the country and demonstrate driving it there. Its purpose is to awaken such new imaginations within the youth of the country and make them understand that whatever can be thought of can also be made.
The car which Prabhas drove to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad today, is it the same car that he drove in the film as well?
This car has been in the making of the film ‘Kalki 2898 AD’. The car we have shown in the film was my imagination, which was prepared by our designers for the film. The car we showed in Hyderabad today is a live version of that imaginary car. Bujji is a character in our film. But, today’s car is a real incident. We have not been able to use this real car in this film, but we are thinking of using it in the sequel of the film.
Oh wow! So you broke the news of the sequel of ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ today? I have heard that ‘Avengers Endgame’ and ‘Batman’ designer Haisu Wang has also helped in its design?
Yes, the second part of the film ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ is also being made. As far as Haisu Wang is concerned, he has designed the vehicles used in Hollywood films ‘Avengers Endgame’, ‘Batman’, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Avatar’ etc. We came in contact with him during the Corona transition period, when he had gone to China and he also had time. We got help from him in designing Bujji. But, the real challenge of this car was to make it a reality. It rotates on the rear wheel. Both front wheels do not have hubs. And, all the features that we have shown in the imaginary car of the film, have become reality in this car.
Movie Does ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ tell the story of the Kalki incarnation of Lord Vishnu as described in the Puranas and how much effort did you have to put in to get Amitabh Bachchan to play the character of Ashwatthama in this story?
Yes, this film also tells the story of Kalki incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This is the connection of this story with the Puranas. From the beginning I was adamant on casting Amitabh Bachchan for the character of Ashwatthama. Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan, I definitely needed these two actors for this film. I had four, five meetings with Bachchan saab regarding the film. He found this character effective in the story of the film and he said yes. Even today Ashwatthama goes to the temple of Lord Shankar and worships. We have come to know of at least three such temples, one in Madhya Pradesh, one on the Western Ghats and one in Uttar Pradesh.