‘Kalki 2898 AD’ Ending Explained: What Do the ‘Mahabharata’ Twist and Kamal Haasan’s Mid-Credit Scene Mean for Prabhas and Deepika Padukone’s Upcoming Sequel? (SPOILER ALERT)

Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD is epic, alright. Flawed, derivative, and structurally inconsistent, yes, but Kalki 2898 AD still manages to keep you riveted with its world-building, connections to the Mahabharata, and impressive VFX work. The performances have been particularly praised, especially Amitabh Bachchan's portrayal of the cursed, 8-foot-tall immortal Ashwatthama, whose goal is to protect the unborn Kalki, the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu in the film's dystopian future. Deepika Padukone plays 'Sumathy', a former lab subject who is mysteriously pregnant with Kalki. Prabhas is Bhairava, a self-centred, duplicitous bounty hunter who wants to gain access to the elite 'Complex'. ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ Movie Review: Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan’s Sci-Fi Film Is Far From Perfect but Impresses With Nag Ashwin’s World-Building.

Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan is the main antagonist of this Kalki Cinematic Universe, playing the dangerous Supreme Leader Yaskin, the ruler of Kashi (established as the last standing city on Earth), while Saswata Chatterjee plays Manas, his commander-in-chief tasked with finding the runaway Sumathy and bringing her back to Yaskin. The cast also includes Shobana (Mariam), Pasupathy (Veeran), Disha Patani (Roxxie), Anna Ben (Kyra), Anil George (Councillor Bani), and Keya Nair (Raia), among others.

There are also some star cameos from SS Rajamouli, Ram Gopal Varma, Dulquer Salmaan, Vijay Deverakonda, and Mrunal Thakur. ‘Kalki 2898 AD’: From Dulquer Salmaan to Vijay Deverakonda, All Major Cameos in Prabhas- Deepika Padukone’s Film, Explained!

Watch the Trailer of Kalki 2898 AD:

Kalki 2898 AD is not a one-off film; it is more or less a setup for a grander sequel, or as the end credits proclaim, a 'Kalki Cinematic Universe'. Not all the important characters survive by the end, but the main leads do, and the climax sets up an interesting warfare between the forces of good and evil. Here's what we think we can expect from the sequel based on the plot points established in the finale. Warning - MAJOR SPOILER ALERT.

Karna Reincarnated

The events of the Kurukshetra war from the Mahabharata play a significant role in influencing the events of Kalki 2898 AD. For one, Ashwatthama can only find his moksha when Lord Krishna tells him to help Kalki in 'Kali Yuga' after cursing him for trying to kill an unborn Parikshit in Uttara's womb with a Brahmastra. Secondly, Bani discovers Gandeeva, the famed bow of Arjuna, which behaves oddly when Sumathy is found carrying an unborn Kalki. Thirdly, it is later revealed that Ashwatthama is not the only Kurukshetra warrior to have returned in the finale.

Bhairava turns out to be a reincarnation of Karna, whom Ashwatthama declares to be a dear friend and a better warrior than Arjuna, who is played by Vijay Deverakonda. Ashwatthama's staff belongs to Karna. The revelation occurs when a fallen Bhairava touches the staff, not deliberately, during Manas's destruction of Shambala to capture Sumathy, and some kind of energy flows from the staff to Bhairava. He is soon transformed into a powerful warrior who easily destroys Manas's fleet and even kills Manas. Ashwatthama is surprised to see his friend return in a new form, though the relief is temporary. Bhairava has been acting against his will, and the spell wears off after Manas's death after Bujji reminds him of Sumathy's bounty. Realising he has little opposition to carrying off an unconscious Sumathy - Ashwatthama is still bound by Manas's bizarre chains - Bhairava puts her inside Bujji and flies off. Although Ashwatthama manages to break his chains, he can't hold on to Bujji.

Bhairava has been an anti-hero throughout the movie, though he shows rare glimpses of chivalry, like saving a little girl from falling debris. His most heroic moment, imbibing Karna's spirit to destroy the enemy fleet, was not an unintended act. So the sequel must show him becoming more of a hero. Since Bujji warns him not to use thrusters to escape from Ashwatthama's clutches, it is possible that would cause some trouble to Bhairava who may not be able to fly all the way to Kashi and must then drive there. Which means Ashwatthama could catch up to him along the way. We predict another tussle will occur between the two, during which Ashwatthama manages to revive his old friend's spirit in Bhairava again.

Bhairava, being Karna's reincarnation, raises quite a few questions. Ideally, this should not have happened since, by falling in the Kurukshetra battle like a true warrior, Karna achieved moksha, and when Yudhishthira ascended to heaven, he saw Karna there along with other Kaurava warriors, like Duryodhana. So why was Karna, who achieved salvation, reincarnated as a human in Kali Yuga? If this is the case, could other Kurukshetra warriors also appear in new forms in this futuristic battle? Since Gandeeva is involved, will we see a reincarnated Arjuna? Or, going by that mid-credit scene, is Yaskin the reincarnation of Arjuna? That would be strange indeed...

...speaking of which...

Yaskin Pulls Off a Voldemort

After Bhairava flies off with the pregnant Sumathy towards Kashi, Kalki 2898 AD cuts to the end credits before immediately transitioning to another scene. This time, Bani is seen in Yaskin's strange room, telling his boss how their forces were destroyed but presenting the one drop of blood they procured from Sumathy before the process was aborted, leading to her rescue earlier in the film. Yaskin puts that one drop of blood into his body and soon loses his emaciated CGI appearance, resembling Kamal Haasan from Alavanthan. Was anyone reminded of the climax of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire while watching this scene? There, Lord Voldemort sheds his weak body and returns to his proper form in a ritual involving blood from his prophesied mortal enemy, Harry Potter.

When Bani marvels at how one drop of blood could work wonders for Yaskin and promises to bring Sumathy with more forces, Yaskin lifts Gandeeva and declares he will personally find the pregnant woman and finish Kalki before he is born.

This is quite the simplistic setup for the sequel, where Yaskin and his forces will face off against Bhairava, Ashwatthama, and whatever remains of Shambala's rebel forces. I am unsure how much of a role the unborn Kalki has in the decimation of Yaskin and his forces. Let's not forget that this is still a Prabhas movie, and he has yet to step into a more heroic mode. So the sequel must show him accepting the good side and going all out on Yaskin, eventually destroying his Death Star, I mean, Complex. I also predict that once Kalki is born, Ashwatthama's curse will end and he may die at that moment, attaining the salvation he has been waiting for 6000 years. One question still remains: what exactly is Project K? Is it just Yaskin getting his full strength through a serum from the right foetus? Or something even more sinister? What does 'K' stand for?

Who Else Would Return?

As far as we know, most of Shambala's rebel forces have died. Mariam also falls during the final battle, though Veeran and Ajju's fates remain unresolved. If they are alive, they would join Ashwatthama in destroying Yaskin's army. I also hope that my favourite character in the movie, Kyra, will live up to her name and somehow survive her sacrificial fall. By the way, where has Roxxie disappeared to? Will she help Bhairava gain access to the Complex when Yaskin inevitably grabs Sumathy and takes her to his floating kingdom, and Bhairava comes to his senses after that? I am betting that Lord Krishna will return in some form, though based on the events of the film, it will mostly be as the baby Kalki. Also if Yaskin doesn't turn out to be reincarnated Arjuna, so would that mean Vijay Deverakonda would return as Arjuna then? ‘Kalki 2898 AD’: Who Plays Lord Krishna in Prabhas' Film? This Actor Also Appeared in Suriya’s Soorarai Pottru!

At the time of writing this article, the sequel is still in the early phases. During an Instagram Live session with Prabhas and director Nag Ashwin a day prior to Kalki 2898 AD's release, Prabhas told him to start writing the sequel since Kalki 2898 AD is going to be a hit. So, hopefully, it won't last too long like a Brahmastra sequel, and we will see the second part in a couple of years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2024 10:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).