Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, and Disha Patani starrer Kalki 2898 AD is directed Nag Ashwin’s epic mythological sci-fi actioner that was the biggest hits of 2024 in India. The film became the second-highest-grossing Indian film of the year. The movie fused elements of the Hindu epic Mahabharata with fiction. Amitabh Bachchan portrayed Ashwatthama, while Prabhas took on dual roles, as Bhairava, a bounty hunter, and Karna, a loyal ally of Duryodhana.
Recently, lyricist-poet Anantha Sriram slammed Kalki 2898 AD for its depiction of Karna. He claimed that the film portrayed him as superior to Arjuna. Speaking at a public function organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district last week, Sriram told Hindustan Times that it alleged that contemporary cinema was distorting Hindu mythology. It also called for a boycott of such films.
The lyricist alleged that the filmmakers were misrepresenting Hindu deities and symbols. Sriram claimed that he once pledged not to collaborate with a director who rejected the usage ‘Brahmanda Nayakudu’. The media portal quoted him saying, ‘When they distorted and portrayed Karna as superior to Arjuna, how dare we as a Hindu society stay silent? When Draupadi vastraharan (disrobement) took place, what did Karna do? I am ashamed as a person who belongs to this film industry. We are not going to stay silent anymore’.
In response, filmmaker Venu Udugula who is known for his work in movies such as Needi Naadi Oke Katha (2018) and Virata Parvam (2022) said that the humanisation of Karna in Telugu cinema dates back to 1977 with NT Rama Rao’s Daana Veera Soora Karna. He also questioned whether Sriram’s criticism extended to NTR’s portrayal of Karna. ‘The matter of Kalki movie aside, in the Telugu cultural narrative, the first film to introduce a social and humanitarian perspective to Karna’s character was Daana Veera Soora Karna. The great NTR brought Karna’s persona closer to the people through this film. Are your comments directed solely at Karna’s character, or do they also attempt to undermine the socially resonant vision that NTR presented? Can your remarks be seen as a rejection of his creative legacy?’, he said.
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