‘Kalki 2898 AD' proves why Amitabh Bachchan is really the immortal God of acting
‘Kalki 2898 AD' proves why Amitabh Bachchan is really the immortal God of acting
'Kalki 2898 AD' makes you revisit your knowledge of the epic 'Mahabharata' in the most modern fashion. It gives you plenty of time to recall the stories you have heard while growing up, of the 'Gandiva-dhari' Arjun, lord Krishna, his curses and the decimation of a whole generation on earth. But, above all, it lets you see the grandeur and majesty of Ashwatthama, the son of sage Dronacharya, who is immortal and wandering around the planet in search of the only hope that can save the world and himself: the 'Kalki' avatar of Lord Vishnu.
In 'Kalki 2898 AD', director Nag Ashwin reimagines the post-apocalyptic world and hands the reign of this world to the 'Acharya putra' himself... for now. His duty is to protect the divine avatar who's going to take birth 6000 years after the battle of Kurukshetra. Enters Amitabh Bachchan. He plays the mighty Ashwatthama and goes on to show that he's the only one who can.
The first half of the film doesn't give you a clear perspective of what is going to happen, where the story is heading or even what the story actually is. However, as the second half approaches, you slowly realise that it was perhaps a trap set by Ashwin. He smartly confuses you before the interval and blows you away with every single scene in the second half. Bachchan, in his larger-than-life role, remains the most intriguing part of 'Kalki 2898 AD'. He is sharp in his acting skills, carrying the whole pace of the film on his shoulders. This is the 'angry young man' we always knew and yet much more than that.
As Ashwaththama, Bachchan makes it difficult for you to focus on anything else happening in the film. He is the drama, the action, the emotion and the story himself. Remember 'Ajooba', 'Hum', 'Don', 'Zanjeer', 'Deewar' and all those films from the '70s and the '80s in which the actor performed the most heroic action? In 'Kalki 2898 AD', his presence is more heroic than all these heroes combined. It's almost as if he's telling his 30-year-old self to not mess with him in his 80s. This is the most magnificent you've ever seen him on-screen. In a scene when he meets Deepika Padukone's Sumati for the first time, the expressions on his face light up the screen. Bachchan makes this whole re-imagination look real. You put your faith in him, and he never disappoints. His crisp walk speaks for his character's strength and his tiny, kohl-ed eyes show the deep longing that establishes the very existence of Ashwatthama in the Kalyuga. Right from his first scene, Bachchan's demeanour is of a man who is the literal definition of the 'calm before the storm'. Even when all he says is 'Maa', he stands as the true reflection of his years of experience and sheer command over language in a second. The actor is always in control of his skills. In 'Kalki 2898 AD', Amitabh Bachchan is the only actor who seems to have understood the homework.
Especially in the climax, when he has to take a backseat, you see him rising like never before. He might not be at the forefront of the story, but Bachchan always makes you search for him on the screen. When was the last time you started missing an actor when he was not in a certain frame? The power of Bachchan's presence is gigantic in 'Kalki 2898 AD'. He becomes both the heart and the soul of the film where so much is happening, including the heavy CGI work and the surprising cameos. Once you start seeing him, you see nothing else. From the outside, it might look like Nag Ashwin's Kalki cinematic universe, but as you go close, you see this is completely Bachchan's world, and you are just living in it.
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