As the release date of the biggest movie ever in Indian cinema Kalki 2898 AD approaches, fans are filled with excitement and eagerness to witness the magnum opus on screen. While we are inching closer to the June 27 release date of the film, one cannot help but wonder why the promotions of the film are so low scale. One would expect that a movie of this stature, which is also the most expensive Indian film ever at Rs 600 crore, would be heavily promoted. On the contrary, there are no grand events or promotional campaigns being held for the film. There were talks of a grand trailer launch event of the film but even that was cancelled and the trailer silently dropped on YouTube a few days back. There are reports that a grand pre-release event is being planned in Amaravati, but there is no clarity on the same.
A promotional song for Kalki 2898 AD called the Bhairava Anthem, named after the lead character played by Prabhas, was released on June 17. It is a peppy Punjabi dance number by Diljit Dosanjh, who also appears in the music video alongside Prabhas. The use of this promotional song has drawn parallels with the Arjan Vailly Punjabi song used in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal.
Arjan Vailly was used to promote Animal in a similar manner, although it received some criticism for narrating the tale of Arjun Vailly, a fierce Sikh Warrior from the 19th century, in a distasteful way. The song and the music video, which showed Ranbir Kapoor cutting through a legion of goons, clicked with the audience. Kalki 2898 AD seems to follow the same pattern, using a Punjabi song with the music video showing Prabhas taking on dozens of goons. Fans think this is a strong promotion gimmick on the part of the makers. Some detractors, though, have also raised eyebrows on the usage of a Punjabi song in a Telugu film.
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