The chatter around Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD is getting stronger not just for its staggering canvas, stunning visuals and its dream star cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Prabhas and Kamal Haasan. The special appearances are as much a surprise as the dystopian world the film is set in. Here are five star cameos that are worth watching out for in the sci-fi film.
Mrunal Thakur as Divya
Sita Ramam actress Mrunal Thakur makes a memorable cameo as Divya, a pregnant woman who is a lab subject in Supreme Yaskin’s (Kamal Haasan) Project K experiment. For the unversed, Supreme Yaskin is the autocratic ruler of Kasi, the last-remaining city on earth in a dystopian future, and he is conducting an experiment of impregnating fertile women with a serum. A group of rebels who want to overthrow Yaskin mistake Divya for the prophesied mother of the tenth avatar of Vishnu, thus endangering her life.
Vijay Deverakonda as Arjun
Telugu heartthrob Vijay Deverakonda has been trending on social media since yesterday for his special appearance in Kalki 2898 AD, and for good reason. With his moustache and long hair, he is a head-turner as Arjun, who is trying to kill Ashwatthama (Amitabh Bachchan) in the Battle of Kurukshetra. Deverakonda channels Arjun’s overconfidence and arrogance with a lot of swag.
Dulquer Salmaan as Captain
In a sleeveless black shirt and rugged trousers with his long locks tied into a bun, Dulquer Salmaan scorches the screen as Captain, a blacklisted bounty hunter who adopts a young Bhairava. As Bhairava’s guardian (and you can’t ignore the resemblance with Starlord from Guardians of the Galaxy), Captain teaches the young boy all the tricks of the trade. But that doesn’t make him think twice before selling Bhiarava off to rich warlords when he is cash-strapped.
S.S. Rajamouli as a bounty hunter
Kalki 2898 AD has a heartwarming moment for Baahubali fans when Prabhas’s character Bhairava runs into an old rival, played by Baahubali director S.S. Rajamouli. The encounter happens when Bhairava is out to catch Sum-80 (Deepika Padukone), a lab subject who has escaped from Kasi. Prabhas and Rajamouli share several self-deprecating jokes that will have you in splits, especially one about Rajamouli keeping Prabhas busy for at least five years whenever he signs him up for a project.
Ram Gopal Varma as Chintu
S.S. Rajamouli isn’t the only filmmaker making a cameo in Kalki 2898 AD. Ram Gopal Varma also joins for a brief scene as Chintu, a restaurant owner. His brief altercation with Bhairava over a piece of egg, right after an adrenaline-pumping action sequence, is fun to watch.