A common joke is that certain south films’ promotional events can rival the scale of many Hindi movies. At the teaser launch of Kalki 2898 AD, we realized this may not be an exaggeration. On Wednesday, from a few metres away, we could hear fans chanting Prabhas’ name well before we reached the part of Ramoji Film City that served as the event’s venue. Guess that’s what you get when you bring over 10,000 fans of the Telugu superstar under one roof. Beginning at 7 pm, the event had enough to keep the eager admirers entertained—a band played hit songs from Prabhas’ films, followed by a bike stunt show, and a dance performance.

At 9 pm, amid fireworks and deafening cheer, the leading man made a smashing entry, riding a yellow customised vehicle. While some fans crossed the barricades to get a closer glimpse of Prabhas, some others had their eyes glued to the vehicle. That’s how we were introduced to Bujji, the AI-powered car that apparently took the technical team over two years to develop.

After the teaser was unveiled, it was evident that Bujji—a futuristic vehicle that forms a friendship with Prabhas’ character Bhairava—commands its own space in director Nag Ashwin’s star-studded movie featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, and Deepika Padukone. 

Prabhas is usually shy, but on this day, we saw his voluble side. A part of it was brought on by the joy of working with two of the country’s biggest acting legends. “[What I treasured] more than anything else was working with Amitabh sir and Kamal sir. The whole country looks up to these two artistes, and luckily, I had an opportunity to work with them. I’m very lucky,” said the actor.

He went on to narrate how, as a child, he was deeply influenced by Haasan’s Telugu hit, Sagara Sangamam (1983). “After watching Sagara Sangamam, I asked my mom to make me similar outfits. I used to say I am unable to do that head dance move. I tried to ape his style.” He also praised Padukone, describing her as “the most gorgeous superstar.”

Kalki 2898 AD is among the most ambitious sci-fi spectacles coming out of Indian cinema. The actor was thrilled that the director’s vision was brought to reality by producer Ashwin Dutt. “Dutt sir was not scared, he wanted the scale to be bigger and better.”