Decoding Kamal Haasan's Supreme Yaskin in Kalki 2898 AD: Is he a communist?
Despite his brief screen time, Kamal Haasan's portrayal of Supreme Yaskin has captured the audience's imagination and fueled anticipation for the sequel.
Kamal Haasan as Supreme Yaskin
If you are yet to see the latest blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD, be warned. Spoilers ahead!
Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan appears only for a few minutes in Kalki 2898 AD, which has a runtime of 181 minutes. His appearance as the rotting and ailing Supreme Yaskin, who relies heavily on technology to breathe, move around, and take out his rivals, may not extend longer than 10 minutes in the movie. But it seems that was enough to capture the imagination of the audience and generate massive anticipation for the next film in the series.
The trailers must have already given you the basic bones of the story of Kalki 2898 AD. Director Nag Ashwin has invented a cinematic universe that has the potential to keep evolving endlessly. This is primarily because he bases the core story of the universe on the Indian epic Mahabharata, which is filled with a vast range of colourful characters. The epic portrays figures who exemplify righteous living, alongside those who represent the opposite end of the spectrum. It also features complex characters who defy simple categorization as good or evil based solely on their affiliations.
Karna, for example, is one such character. Even though he fights on the side of Kauravas, owing to his fidelity to his friend Duryodhana, he's celebrated as a great hero worthy of our admiration and respect.
Similarly, Kamal Haasan's Yaskin also seems to be a complex character. There seems to be more to his tyrannical ways than meets the eye. The first time we meet Yaskin, protected by a ring of truth-seeking orbs, he explains the motive behind all his efforts: "I want to fix the manufacturing defect in human beings." While this statement from a megalomaniac draining Earth's resources to power his sky city sounds ironic, a hint of humanity emerges as a tear rolls down his cheek while he speaks.
At the end of part 1 of Kalki 2898 AD, Yaskin is reborn from a serum that he extracts from one of his lab experiments. He levitates, expanding his newly-gained muscular physique, lifting the Gandiva, the divine bow of Arjuna, above his head, and striking a powerful pose. While Yaskin takes his 'Vishwaroopam' with multiple hands, giving us a glimpse of his full powers, he says something in contrast. The image is powerful and aligns well with the divine theme, looks, and the main emotion of the movie, but the spoken words contradict the visual grandeur.
For the unaware, Yaskin recites the powerful verses of the "Jagannathuni Radha Chakralu" poem from "Maha Prasthanam" (Great March) written by the great Telugu poet Srirangam Srinivasarao, popularly known as Sri Sri. He was a well-known left-leaning poet. This raises the question: is Yaskin a communist sympathizer, or simply a fan of Sri Sri?
Updated: June 29, 2024 01:27 PM IST
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