Considering the scale and number of pivotal characters in the Telugu sci-fi blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD that has already grossed Rs 1000 crore at the worldwide box office , it’s tough to pick the best character from the film. But that’s the challenge OTTplay posed to its filmmaker Nag Ashwin in an exclusive chat.

The movie has some of the biggest stars in Indian cinema including Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Deepika Padukone, but the filmmaker didn’t pick any of these names when he asked him about his favourite character in the film.

Nag Ashwin picks Anna Ben’s Kyra as his favourite character in Kalki 2898 AD

“There are too many characters in the film. I always liked Anna Ben’s Kyra. She’s very cool and it was fun to write and also watch during the edit,” he tells us. The Malayalam actress plays a chirpy bad-ass in the movie, which is also filled with cameos of actors such as Mrunal Thakur, Dulquer Salmaan and Vijay Deverakonda.

Ask the director if he expects some of these actors, who plays cameos, to have a bigger role in the upcoming sequel and he says, “Not so much, the cameos were something that I did purely for fun because someone like Rajamouli sir and RGV sir were pure tributes for the legends they are. Also, as an audience, I thought I would enjoy seeing something like this, even if it’s a serious film. It’s a deviation or luxury from serious storytelling.”

Nag Ashwin: Approached Amitabh Bachchan before Prabhas for Kalki 2898 AD

While he might not have picked Prabhas or Bachchan as his favourite role, the director says that they were the only choices for the role of Bhairavaa/Karna and Ashwatthama in the movie.

“The actors for the characters didn’t change. Bachchan sir agreed first, because I approached him first. It took me longer to convince Prabhas. I definitely wanted Prabhas to play a character like this, which wasn’t this serious-faced, angry and strong hero. I thought I could have more fun with a role like that,” he explains.

How easy was it convincing the big names to come onboard such an ambitious project? “For every actor, it comes down to doing something new or challenging in its way. They knew that it sounded challenging for me from Day 1, in terms of what I was trying to do, the writing, the genre or even the characters. So, it was a challenge and everyone likes a challenge. So, they came on board that way. I am guessing the story also appealed to them,” Nag Ashwin adds.

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