Kalki 2898 AD has turned out to be a big success. Despite mixed reviews, the film has performed exceptionally well, especially in the Hindi market.
The Hindi audience has connected strongly with the mythological angle and Amitabh Bachchan’s character. Deepika Padukone’s performance also decently boosted the film’s reception in the Hindi markets.
Although Kalki 2898 AD is not as good as RRR, its business might touch the 250-crore mark and come close to RRR’s earnings in Hindi.
This success can be attributed to Nag Ashwin giving powerful roles to Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.
It was a delight for the Hindi audience to see Bachchan in full form after many decades. His incredible action scenes thrilled the masses. Today’s Gen-Z audience got to witness the euphoria of a legend like Amitabh Bachchan through Kalki.
Deepika also got a role that showcased her talent well. Nag Ashwin successfully utilized Bollywood stars to create a true pan-India experience.
In contrast, SS Rajamouli cast Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt in RRR but gave them feeble roles that made little impact.
Ajay Devgn, with a strong following in B and C centers in the North, had a role that could have been written and executed better to enhance the film’s box office performance. He can still pull mass audiences in a big way in a massy action role with a lot of emotions. But his role in RRR was forgettable.
Alia Bhatt’s role also didn’t make much sense, failing to do justice to her talent.
Despite Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt’s presence, RRR mostly felt like a South film rather than a pan-India film because their roles were not properly developed.
If SS Rajamouli can cast major Bollywood stars in his next film and give them roles that justify their talent and stardom, his films could achieve much greater box office success.
