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Filmmaker Nag Ashwin, who recently garnered praise for his futuristic spectacle Kalki 2898 AD, featuring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan, shared an emotional moment from his early career during a recent interaction with film students.
The acclaimed director confessed that he once experienced depression after watching the trailer of Christopher Nolan’s iconic film Inception.
Fell Into Depression For An Entire Week: Nag Ashwin
Recalling that time, Ashwin said, “Back in 2008, I came up with a concept similar to Inception. While Nolan focused on dreams, my story revolved around thoughts. But when I saw the trailer, I felt crushed. I dropped the project and fell into depression for an entire week.”
Despite the emotional setback, Ashwin persevered and eventually directed Kalki 2898 AD, now hailed as one of India’s most ambitious sci-fi films. The film’s groundbreaking visuals, rich mythology, and futuristic world-building have captivated audiences.
He is currently busy developing the highly anticipated sequel to Kalki.
Speaking about the massive effort that went into creating the Kalki universe, Ashwin said, “If someone were to dissect Kalki like a zig-zag puzzle, they’d see that every scene took months, even years of planning. The writing formed the backbone. That’s what made the film succeed.”
Myth Meets Futurism with VFX Brilliance
Kalki 2898 AD blends mythology and science fiction with state-of-the-art visual effects. From futuristic cities to epic battles, the film pushed the envelope for Indian cinema in terms of scale and creativity.
Ashwin also addressed the growing influence of AI in filmmaking, noting, “When we were working on Kalki, AI tools had already started coming in. But today, it’s evolved drastically. People are creating trailers using AI. Still, it needs a creative mind to guide it.”
