"Kalki 2898 AD" director Nag Ashwin has addressed mild criticism regarding Prabhas’ limited screen time in the first half of the epic sci-fi movie.
Some of Prabhas' fans have noted that the actor appears for only about 20 minutes in the first half, while characters played by Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone are in focus for most of the time.
In a recent interview, Ashwin discussed these concerns and whether he had conversations with Prabhas about this before casting him.
“I don’t think we had those sorts of discussions,” Ashwin told Pinkvilla. “For a star of his stature, Prabhas has very few issues about things like this. He is fully for the story. Once he listened to and approved the story way back in the day, he has been fully onboard and very supportive.”
Ashwin continued, “In retrospect, I feel it was a big deal for a mainstream actor to get hit by another actor; living in a world where all these heroes are untouchable. So it was a big deal, but he was totally onboard. He wanted to get hit by Amitabh Bachchan. It was awesome. He was like, ‘Sir, hold me tighter.'”
"Kalki 2898 AD" has grossed over Rs 700 crore globally within a week of its release. In another interview, Ashwin discussed the film’s sequel.
Speaking to Times Now/Zoom, Ashwin revealed that he has already shot about 20 percent of the second part of "Kalki 2898 AD."
“The next one is a while off because it’s not really shot yet. It’s shot for about 20 to 30 days,” the filmmaker said, adding, “I’d say at best 20 percent (is ready). At best 20 percent because the big stuff is still remaining. We have to get that right.”
Ashwin also hinted that while Kamal Haasan has a limited role in "Kalki 2898 AD," the sequel will prominently feature the Tamil superstar. Haasan plays the role of Supreme Yaskin, a despotic ruler overseeing the resource-rich Complex.
“It’s fully him being the antagonist,” Ashwin added.