The film, which is helmed by Nag Ashwin, released a trailer on June 10 and quickly acquired popularity on social media due to its elaborate visual effects.
The post-apocalyptic setting of Kalki 2898 AD was compared by fans to Mad Max and Dune, two popular Hollywood films.
The movie centers on a contemporary manifestation of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who is said to have come to Earth to save humanity from evil powers.
Read more: Kalki 2898 AD Trailer: Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan Futuristic Face-Off
With a $72 million budget, the science fiction picture is reportedly the most expensive Indian movie ever. It will be released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and English on June 27 in theaters across the globe.
However, it became embroiled in controversy when, according to an Indian media outlet, South Korean concept illustrator and designer Sung Choi claimed that the creators of Kalki 2898 AD had stolen his artwork.
In an Instagram post that has since been removed, he shared a mashup of his illustration and a still from the movie’s trailer, writing, “Unauthorized use of the artwork is a bad practice.” This raises doubts in my mind about creating art in such a lawless society. @VyjayanthiFilms @Kalki2898AD #kalki2898ad.
The original artwork, according to Sung Choi, who has collaborated with Marvel Studios, Disney, and Warner Bros., was posted on his website a decade ago.
Users decried the creators of Kalki 2898 AD and offered support for Sung Choi in the comments section of her Instagram post.
“I hope you pursue legal action if possible,” a user said. This is really bad.
Another said that the teaser seemed to have been inspired by Hollywood science fiction films like Mad Max, Dune, Epoch, and others.
“Death Stranding and the Halo series are also heavily referenced in the trailer’s designs. I don’t know how some of the movie’s concept designers can remain mute,” the user commented.
“This is shameful and disappointing,” someone commented. Literally the first frame of the trailer has a 10-year-old piece of artwork that has been copied and pasted.
It is important to note that Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, and Disha Patani are prominent figures in Indian science fiction.