Director Nag Ashwin defended his depiction of Karna in Kalki 2898 AD against online blasphemy allegations.
Ashwin cited a passage from Bibek Debroy's translation of the Mahabharata where Lord Krishna praises Karna to Arjuna.
The filmmaker urged critics to wait for Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 before drawing conclusions about the character arc.
Filmmaker Nag Ashwin has defended his portrayal of Karna in Kalki 2898 AD against online criticism, urging audiences to wait for the sequel.
Ashwin responded on X (formerly Twitter) after a social media user compared the film to Akhil Akkineni's recently released Lenin.
The critic praised actor Pramod Panju's performance as Karna in Lenin. The user labelled Ashwin's depiction of Karna as "blasphemy" for allegedly glorifying the Mahabharata warrior during the film's climax.
Nag Ashwin defends Karna's portrayal in Kalki 2898 AD
To counter the criticism, Ashwin shared a page from Bibek Debroy's translation of the Mahabharata.
He highlighted a specific passage from the Drona Vadha Parva. The shared text details Lord Krishna praising Karna during a conversation with Arjuna.
Ashwin wrote, "These are Sree Krishna's own words to Arjuna in the Drona Vadha Parva. Please read the Mahabharata. I suggest the Bibek Debroy version. Or Google how many times Krishna praised Karna to Arjuna. I have the greatest respect for our history. I know what I'm doing. Wait for Part 2 (sic)."
On Kalki 2898 AD sequel casting
There have been speculations regarding the cast for Kalki 2898 AD Part 2. Deepika Padukone, who played the important character of Sumathi in the sci-fi epic, is not returning to the sequel. There are reports that actors Sai Pallavi and Alia Bhatt might join the project.
Ashwin addressed the uncertainty surrounding the character of Sumathi. He confirmed the role remains an essential part of the narrative and cannot be removed. Who is going to replace Deepika remains unannounced.
Ashwin said, "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."
Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan will reprise their roles in the sequel. Supreme Yaskin, the central antagonist, will have a larger arc in the film. Reports also claim that Prabhas would lead larger action sequences.
