Kalki 2898 AD is the next big release from the Telugu industry, and there are hardly a few weeks left for the film’s release. The bigger question is – is Kalki currently carrying the hype to its potential?
The outright answer is no. Makers, right from the start, projected Kalki as not just a pan-India but a pan-world project on a never-before-seen scale. So where are things going wrong? Frankly speaking, forget pan-India, Pan-world Kalki needs to pick up big in Telugu in the coming weeks.
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The promotional ideas like Skratch episodes, or be it Bujji for a super hyped car and its output not meeting the scale or potential of the project. The promotional material they are releasing is introducing more unexcitement than raising the hype for the film.
But the biggest problem is that makers are still not able to set the right tone for the film. People have no idea what to expect from a film like “Kalki 2898 AD.” There is no effort to prepare the audiences for the Kalki world, which is extremely crucial.
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This is what Rajamouli does and highly succeeds. He sets the right expectation for his film, he still keeps enough surprises, but there is no room for any confusion.
What the Kalki team is doing is trying to impress the audiences with bits and pieces of VFX material. Remember, Telugu audiences are highly critical about visual effects; a car like Bujji would never raise the hype meter because audiences are watching mind-blowing tech stuff on smartphones daily. In fact, these lackluster ideas have the opposite effect, as people immediately try to compare them with the superior work they have seen from Hollywood.
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But anything about Kalki’s world and Hindu mythology would instantly multiply the excitement needed to generate a discussion.
Remember how the first look poster was trashed with so much negativity back in July 2023, but within 24 hours, a video glimpse titled ‘What is Project K‘ erased all that? It happened only because of a brief glimpse into the world-building of Kalki.
Kalki has a fantastic cast, but it is also the reason the Telugu audience feels a bit alienated. However, once the character briefs start coming out, they instantly connect with the Telugu audience and also raise hype in the North, similar to how Amitabh’s recent brief glimpse was received.
Nag Ashwin should take that idea forward instead of bringing an alien feeling to audiences with ideas they are banking on.
Kalki should be having the best hype among Prabhas’s films akin to “Baahubali” if the team has got the promotional ideas right.
But everything will change overnight with a good cut teaser and trailer. We hope Nag Ashwin understands what will make the audience truly excited.
