Filmmaker Nag Ashwin has responded to criticism over his interpretation of Karna in Kalki 2898 AD, urging audiences not to judge the story before its sequel arrives. The director took to X to defend the film's climax after a social media debate questioned his depiction of the Mahabharata warrior.
The discussion resurfaced following the release of Akhil Akkineni's Lenin, with a social media user praising actor Pramod Panju's portrayal of Karna and claiming it reflected the character more faithfully. The post also criticised Kalki 2898 AD, accusing Ashwin of glorifying Karna and calling the film's climax "blasphemy."
Replying to the criticism, Ashwin maintained that the complete picture would only emerge with the second instalment. Referring to the Mahabharata to justify his creative choices, the filmmaker indicated that the sequel would provide the context needed to understand the ending of the first film. He also urged viewers to "wait for Part 2," suggesting that several questions raised by audiences would be answered in the follow-up.
Nag Ashwin also addressed speculation surrounding the cast of Kalki 2898 AD Part 2. Amid reports that Deepika Padukone will no longer be part of the franchise and rumours linking Sai Pallavi and Alia Bhatt to the sequel, the director clarified that no casting announcement has been made.
However, he confirmed that the character of Sumathi will remain central to the story. "We need to announce who plays the Sumathi character in Kalki 2. As of now, everything is speculation only. The character will be there for sure, which we can't remove as it's a very important character," he said.
The sequel is expected to bring back Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan in their respective roles, with the story picking up after the cliffhanger ending of the first film. Supreme Yaskin, played by Kamal Haasan, is set to take centre stage as the principal antagonist, while reports suggest the follow-up will feature larger-scale action sequences and expand further on the film's mythological universe.
