- Nag Ashwin defended his portrayal of Karna in Kalki 2898 AD amid criticism on social media
- Ashwin cited the Mahabharata and Krishna's praise of Karna to support his creative choices
- He urged audiences to wait for Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 before forming any judgments
Filmmaker Nag Ashwin has responded to criticism over the portrayal of Karna in Kalki 2898 AD, defending his creative choices and urging audiences to wait for the sequel before forming conclusions.
What's Happening
The director addressed the criticism on X (formerly Twitter) after a social media post compared Kalki 2898 AD with Akhil Akkineni's recently released Lenin.
The user praised actor Pramod Panju's portrayal of Karna in Lenin and criticised Ashwin's depiction of the Mahabharata warrior, alleging that Kalki 2898 AD glorified Karna and calling the film's climax "blasphemy."
Responding to the post, Ashwin defended his interpretation by referring to the Mahabharata.
Sharing a page from Bibek Debroy's translation of the epic, he pointed to a passage from the Drona Vadha Parva in which Lord Krishna praises Karna while speaking to Arjuna.
Defending his interpretation, he wrote, "These are Sree Krishna's own words to Arjuna in the Drona Vadha Parva. Please read the Mahabharata. I suggest the Bibek Debroy version. Or Google how many times Krishna praised Karna to Arjuna. I have the greatest respect for our history. I know what I'm doing. Wait for Part 2 (sic)."
these are Sree Krishnas own words to arjuna in the drona vadha parva... pls read the Mahabharata...I suggest the bibek debroy version... Or google how many times krishna praised karna to arjuna. I have the greatest respect for our history. I know what I'm doing. Wait for part 2. pic.twitter.com/iU2CSq1uNM
— Nag Ashwin (@nagashwin7) July 12, 2026
His response also offered a brief update on Kalki 2898 AD Part 2, with the filmmaker asking fans to reserve judgement until the sequel is released.
Background
Meanwhile, speculation continues around the film's casting. While reports have claimed that Deepika Padukone will not return for the sequel, Sai Pallavi and Alia Bhatt have both been linked to the project.
However, no official announcement has been made regarding either actor.
Ashwin also addressed rumours surrounding the character of Sumathi, confirming that the role will remain a key part of the story, although the makers are yet to reveal who will portray the character.
"We need to announce who plays the Sumathi character in Kalki 2. As of now, everything is speculation only. The character will be there for sure, which we can't remove as it's a very important character," he said.
The sequel will see Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan reprise their roles. Supreme Yaskin is expected to emerge as the central antagonist following the events of the first film, while reports have suggested that Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 will feature even bigger action sequences led by Prabhas.
