Kalki 2898 AD takes us to a post-apocalyptic world, approximately 6000 years after the battle of Kurukshetra, where a dictator named Supreme Yaskin had control over natural resources like water and fresh air, and he made sure that the people of the world suffered. A facility called The Complex was created by Supreme Yaskin, and a commoner had to pay a huge price to get admission there. The setup resembled the conditions that prevail in first-world countries, where people overused resources and wasted them in the name of convenience while the rest of the world couldn’t even afford the basic necessities of life. A bounty hunter by the name of Bhairava, who lived in the city of Kashi, dreamt of entering The Complex one day and leading a life of privilege. But little did Bhairava know what fate had in store for him. So, let’s recap the events of Kalki 2898 AD and find out if Bhairava was able to enter The Complex.
Spoiler Alert
What happened during the battle of Kurukshetra?
At the beginning of Kalki 2898 AD, we saw that during the battle of Kurukshetra, Ashwatthama was given a curse by Lord Krishna, after he tried to kill Uttara’s unborn child. Aswatthama was told that when the time comes, he will have to protect the mother who will give birth to the reincarnation of the god. Immortality seemed like a boon to many, but it was not so. The weary eyes of Ashwatthama waited for years. After Dvapara Yuga, Kalyug started, and he saw to what extent humanity could stoop. He saw the rise and fall of dictators; he saw how humans wreaked havoc in the two World Wars; he saw how humanity disregarded nature and destroyed everything in the process. Soon, nature took its course and wreaked havoc on humans. Climate change affected the inhabitants of the planet, and soon, there came a time when the world was plagued with famines and droughts. The natural resources were depleted, and living conditions worsened. In the post-apocalyptic world, Ashwatthama waited in the shadows, and then, one day, he realized that the time had come. He could sense the presence of the mother, who was bearing the reincarnation of Vishnu in her womb. Aswatthama woke up from his slumber, and he went on a quest to fight the odds and protect the mother. What he didn’t know was that he would find an old friend amidst the humans, someone he lost on the battleground at Kurukshetra.
How did Sumati escape from the Complex?
We saw in the Amazon Prime animated series Bhairava and Bujji how the former found the AI in the junkyard. Bhairava‘s sole aim in life was to earn enough units to enter The Complex and live a lavish life there. He spent his days thinking about all he would do once he was allowed inside The Complex. But earning units was a tough job, and he knew that catching rebels with a small bounty on their heads was not going to solve his problem. Then, one day, something strange happened inside The Complex, and it completely changed Bhairava’s life. Sum 80, aka Sumati, was one of the women staying inside the breeding house of Supreme Yaskin. She was tested by the scientists and found not fertile, which is why she could never get the perks given to the women who tested positive. Supreme Yaskin needed pregnant women because he extracted serum from their bodies and then used it to increase his lifespan and physical condition.
Now, most of these pregnant women, just after they underwent the process, were thrown into a pit of fire. No pregnant woman was able to carry a child in the womb for more than 100 days, even after so many precautions were taken by the scientists. But Sumati, on the other hand, was the first woman to have a baby in her womb for about 150 days. She didn’t tell anybody about it because she was scared of the consequences it could have. She was getting attached to her unborn child, as she probably didn’t have anybody in her life whom she could call hers. Little did she know that she was carrying the goddess Kalki in her womb, as was prophesied 6,000 years ago. The Complex had plundered each and every town, but there was one town that they weren’t able to destroy. It was the city of Shambala, which was still hopeful that one day, the prophesied mother of god would grace them with her presence.
At the beginning of the film, we saw that one of the storytellers from the land of Shambala came to Kashi with a pregnant woman named Divya. He believed that Divya was carrying the avatar of Lord Vishnu, Kalki, but to his disappointment, it was not so. Divya and that old sage were killed by Commander Manas, and once again, the people of Shambala were disappointed and disheartened. Shambala had some spies inside The Complex, and one of them helped Sumati escape from there. Sumati was taken to the lab after it became known that she had been pregnant for 150 days. A drop of serum was collected from her body before the machine ejected her and threw her into the pit of fire. She was saved by the spy from Shambala, and then later, with the help of Shambalan soldiers, she escaped from the facility. She had no clue what the prophecy was, and as she had never gone outside The Complex, she had no idea about the challenges she would have to face.
Why was Bhairava banned from the Complex?
The Complex put a huge bounty of 5 million units on Sumati’s head, and that’s when Bhairava went after her because he realized that it was his only chance to enter The Complex. Aswatthama also sensed that the time had come for him to save the reincarnation of Vishnu, and he also went out to find her. Bhairava and Aswatthama came in front of each other, and that’s when the former realized that there was someone in the world who was more powerful than him. Bhairava fought valiantly against the old man, but the latter was way too powerful for him. The soldiers from The Complex were not even able to lay a finger on Ashwatthama, and the latter was successfully able to take Sumati with him to Shambala. Meanwhile, an ordinance was passed, and Bhairava was blacklisted from entering The Complex for a lifetime because in the process of capturing Sumati he killed a lot of soldiers from The Complex. He was disheartened as his dream of living a life of opulence was shattered in front of his own eyes. But then Bhairava got an idea, and he decided to give Commander Manas a lucrative offer. He told Manas that he was the only one who could put up a fight against the giant old man when all his soldiers combined couldn’t even come close to him. He told Manas that he was ready to go to Shambala and bring Sumati to him if he promised to revoke his ban. Manas agreed, and that’s when Bhairava asked one of the rebels to take him to the hidden city. That rebel idolized Bhairava, and he believed that Bhairava would help them in the war. So Bhairava was able to enter Shambala, and that’s when the rebel came to know about his real intentions.
Was Aswatthama able to save Sumati?
Aswatthama stood in between Bhairava and his dreams. Bhiarava fought hard, but it was impossible to win a fight against the 8-foot-tall giant, who had supernatural powers. Bhairava had come prepared this time around, but even with the help of his advanced spacecraft, he was no match against Ashwatthama. Commander Manas arrived at Shambala with his forces, and with the use of his laser gun and advanced technology, he was not only able to trap Ashwatthama, but he also killed almost everybody in Shambala. Mariam, the head priestess, mentor, and leader of the people of Shambala, died saving Sumati’s life. Still, it felt as if Ashwatthama was going to save Sumati, but then the tables turned when something extraordinary happened. Bhairava picked up the weapon of Karna, which was in the possession of Ashwatthama for the longest time. The staff lit up, and it became apparent that Bhairava was the reincarnation of the mighty Karna. Bhairava destroyed the ships in The Complex and killed Commander Manas. Then he took Sumati and escaped from there, though Aswatthama tried his level best to stop him from doing so. Bhairava still wanted his 5 million units, and it felt as if he didn’t know that he was not an ordinary man but a demigod who had come to the planet with a purpose.
What Happens In The Mid-Credits Scene?
In Kalki 2898 AD‘s ending, The Complex’s scientists managed to procure a drop of serum from Sumati’s body before she could escape the premise. In the mid-credits scene, counselor Bani took that drop of serum to Supreme Yaskin, who injected it into his body. Miraculously, his feeble body, which needed constant doses of serum to stay alive, transformed into a strong and muscular physique. He also lifted the Gandiva, Brahma’s bow that Arjun used to defeat his enemies in the battle of Kurukshetra and told Counsellor Bani that he was going to bring Sumati back. Yaskin picking up the bow, which no human was able to do till then, was indicative of the fact that he also possessed some magical powers, just like his rivals Ashwatthama and Bhairava. It could be possible that even Yaskin was a reincarnation of some demigod, and if that’s the case, then the upcoming battle is going to be a deadly one. Yaskin wants Sumati at all costs, and he will try in Kalki Part 2 not to let the god be born from her womb. If that happens, then, for sure, Yaskin’s empire will be destroyed, and things will probably get better for the world. It will be interesting to see what Part 2 has to offer and how these characters overcome the conflict that lies in their way.
