Director Nag Ashwin’s epic mythological sci-fi actioner Kalki 2898 AD was one of the biggest hits of 2024 in India, ranking as the second-highest-grossing Indian film of the year. Starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Disha Patani, the film fused elements of the Hindu epic Mahabharata with fiction, crafting a distinctive narrative set across multiple eras. While Amitabh Bachchan portrayed Ashwatthama, a warrior from the epic, Prabhas took on dual roles, as Bhairava, a bounty hunter, and Karna, a loyal ally of Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava.
Now, lyricist-poet Anantha Sriram has come forward criticising the film for its depiction of Karna, claiming it portrayed him as superior to Arjuna. Speaking at a public function organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district last week, Sriram, Hindustan Times reported, alleged that contemporary cinema was “distorting Hindu mythology” and called for a boycott of such films.
Alleging that filmmakers were misrepresenting Hindu deities and symbols, Sriram also claimed that he once pledged not to collaborate with a director who rejected the usage “Brahmanda Nayakudu” (a reference to Lord Vishnu) in one of the works he had written. “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,” HT quoted him as saying.
In response, filmmaker Venu Udugula, known for helming movies such as Needi Naadi Oke Katha (2018) and Virata Parvam (2022), pointed out that the humanisation of Karna in Telugu cinema dates back to 1977 with NT Rama Rao’s Daana Veera Soora Karna and 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?”
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