Lyricist and poet Anantha Sriram has criticised the makers of Kalki 2898 AD, starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, and Amitabh Bachchan, for ‘humanising’ Karna and depicting him as superior to Arjuna. His remarks about the Nag Ashwin-directed 2024 film have sparked fresh controversy.
At an event organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district, Sriram opened about modern films and expressed disappointment over makers’ distorting history in them. According to media reports, he also demanded that these films should be boycotted.
Reacting to Kalki 2898 AD, Sriram said, “When they distorted and portrayed Karna as superior to Arjuna, how dare we as a Hindu society stay silent? When Draupadi vastraharan took place, what did Karna do? I am ashamed as a person who belongs to this film industry. We are not going to stay silent anymore.”
During the event, the lyricist also criticised filmmakers for misrepresenting Hindu deities and symbols, citing specific examples. He mentioned how, when a director rejected the term ‘Brahmanda Nayakudu’ as a title for Lord Vishnu, he promised never to work with him again.
Soon after Sriram’s statement surfaced on social media, a section of users supported him. However, others slammed him for speaking against the film industry.
Filmmaker Venu Udugula took to his official X account and wrote, “The matter of the #Kalki movie aside, in the Telugu cultural narrative, the first film to introduce a social and humanitarian perspective to Karna’s character was ‘Daana Veera Soora Karna.’ The great #NTR brought Karna’s persona closer to the people through this film. Are your comments directed solely at Karna’s character, or do they also attempt to undermine the socially resonant vision that NTR presented? Can your remarks be seen as a rejection of his creative legacy?”
He added, “Karna’s character is socially resonant because it represents the struggles of those treated unfairly by society due to their birth. His journey highlights issues like discrimination, loyalty, and the fight for dignity, making him a symbol of resilience and hope for many.”
Despite being set in a dystopian future, some characters in Kalki 2898 AD are inspired by figures from Hindu scriptures.
