Nag Ashwin shares 'Kalki 2898 AD' draws inspiration from Robert Downey Jr. film, not 'Harry Potter'

Nag Ashwin's latest blockbuster, ‘Kalki 2898 AD,’ has been creating waves at the box office, drawing comparisons with iconic Hollywood films like 'Harry Potter', 'Dune', and 'Mad Max'. While the director initially dismissed these parallels, he recently disclosed the two key inspirations behind his ambitious project.

In a recent interview with Zoom, Nag Ashwin acknowledged the influence of Marvel movies in his creative journey.

‘We grew up watching Marvel films. I would say Guardians of the Galaxy was more of an influence than Iron Man.’ Definitely, Star Wars is a huge influence. I love Star Wars, so that is subconsciously a part of my aesthetic,' he said.

He further revealed that the character of Harshith Reddy draws inspiration from Luke Skywalker of Star Wars.

When asked about the similarities between Kamal Haasan's character, Yaskin, and Voldemort from Harry Potter, Nag Ashwin clarified, ‘Our references were these old Tibetan monks, who are supposed to be 120-130 years old. Sir (Kamal Haasan) was always mentioning the portrait of Dorian Grey (from Oscar Wilde’s 1890 philosophical novel The Picture of Dorian Grey). That was sir’s inspiration. We didn’t have many movie references for that ancient look’.

The only reference to Harry Potter, according to Nag Ashwin, was Vinay Kumar's character, Sirius, reminding us of Sirius Black.

‘Kalki 2898 AD’ has amassed a staggering Rs 507 crores in India alone, as reported by Sacnilk.com. Despite its massive budget, the film has surpassed expectations. In an interview with NDTV, Nag Ashwin expressed gratitude for Prabhas's support throughout the project. ‘He really believed in the project from the get-go. He believed even when things were taking too long, even when things were hard. He always believed in my project and in my vision. Even though I was only two films old, he was the biggest cheerleader for the film.

He would say, ‘This is going to be massive, it’s going to be bigger than everything. He was pumping us up because we needed it, but he really believed in it. There were times when we would sit and talk, and those pumps were what we needed to get through. He was fully on board with this film once he signed on,’

More about ‘Kalki 2898 AD’

‘Kalki 2898 AD’ unfolds against the backdrop of a dystopian future, drawing inspiration from Mahabharata . The narrative centres around four protagonists: SUM-80 (played by Deepika Padukone), a pregnant woman believed to carry the 10th avatar of Vishnu, the immortal Ashwatthama (portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan), Yaskin (by Kamal Haasan), a determined to eliminate the child for his own needs and Bhairava (by Prabhas), who would sell anyone in return of money.

Also watch: Salman Khan joins MS Dhoni's midnight birthday celebration, wishes 'Kaptaan Sahab' with sweet pic