Is Mahabharata myth or history? Kalki 2898 AD director Nag Ashwin responds
In the ongoing debate over whether the Mahabharata should be viewed as pure myth or as part of India's historical narrative, Kalki 2898 AD director Nag Ashwin offers his perspective.
Updated : July 05, 2024 05:13 PM ISTIn the ongoing debate over whether the Mahabharata should be viewed as pure myth or as part of India's historical narrative, Kalki 2898 AD director Nag Ashwin offers his perspective.
Director Nag Ashwin
The status of the Mahabharata as pure myth or pure history is a complex ongoing debate in India. Director Nag Ashwin has weighed in on it, sharing his thoughts on the subject. It's safe to assume that Nag Ashwin likely gained scholar-level knowledge about the Mahabharata, considering that he spent over five years reading it and drawing inspiration and narrative threads from it to mount one of India's biggest sci-fi movies, Kalki 2898 AD .
Instead of giving a decisive answer to whether the events depicted in the Mahabharata are part of India's history or belong to the rich storytelling legacy of the country, Nag Ashwin shared his personal belief on the subject.
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"In the film, it's clear, we are saying it's (the Mahabharata) true. It's history, our past. (Personally) I would like to believe in these magical powers. I'd like to believe in the Mahabharata, that everybody was eight feet tall, and they could summon magical weapons from a blade of grass. I believe in fantasy," he remarked.
Nag Ashwin revealed that he always nurtured the ambition to combine the larger-than-life characters from the Mahabharata with the futuristic worlds of Hollywood science-fiction like Star Wars. And he finally achieved that with a budget of Rs 600 crore.
Kalki 2898 AD reimagines the great war of the Mahabharata about 6,000 years later against the backdrop of a dystopian future. The key characters from the Indian epic, such as Karna and Ashwatthama, return to bring balance to a world engulfed by the forces of evil. Their return and the impending arrival of Lord Krishna's last avatar, Kalki, suggest the end of Kali Yuga, which means the age of Kali or villainy.
Telugu superstar Prabhas plays the reincarnation of Karna, while matinee icon Amitabh Bachchan essays the role of Ashwatthama. Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan plays the Kali, Supreme Yaskin, whose role will be fully explored in Kalki 2898 AD Part 2.