The wait for Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 finally has a shape. Director Nag Ashwin has confirmed that regular shooting for the sequel begins in mid-October 2026, and the film is targeting a 2028 theatrical release. For a project that has lived on rumour and placeholder dates for two years, this is the first timeline to come from the director himself — and it is worth taking seriously.
Ashwin laid it out in an interview with Variety India in late September 2026. The team, he said, now has call sheets in place for all the principal artists. Earlier in 2026, individual scenes featuring Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan were already filmed; the missing piece was Prabhas’s dates, and those are now sorted. “We’re starting regular shooting in mid-October,” Ashwin said, adding that the plan is to wrap the entire shoot by mid-2027 and then move into the long post-production the film’s scale demands. On the release question, he was direct: “Looks like 2028, certainly.”
That pushes the sequel well beyond the December 2027 window that some earlier reports had floated. Ashwin’s own framing explains why: “Let’s finish the shoot first; once that is done, we can talk about the release date.” A film built on this level of VFX cannot be dated before the footage exists, and the makers appear unwilling to repeat the industry’s habit of announcing dates first and scrambling later.
Where the story goes is the part Ashwin is most excited about. Part 1 ended with Bhairava’s awakening as Karna and Supreme Yaskin consolidating his god-like power, setting up the final war in Shambhala. The director has said there will be no new additions to the cast — the team is continuing with the story and characters already established — while building a larger world by weaving different narrative threads together into a more expansive whole.
The cast picture, however, carries one confirmed change. Deepika Padukone, who played the female lead SUM-80 in Part 1, will not return for the sequel — the makers announced her exit last year. Reports have linked Sai Pallavi to the role, but there is no official confirmation, and Ashwin himself has stressed that no new additions are planned beyond the story already in motion. The core remains: Prabhas as Bhairava/Karna, Amitabh Bachchan as Ashwatthama, and Kamal Haasan as Supreme Yaskin.
The stakes for Part 2 are enormous. The first film, released in 2024, was a global phenomenon that went on to win two National Awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Production Design. The sequel has to pay off the mythology Part 1 spent three hours building — the Kurukshetra of the future, fought with divine weapons and flying war machines.
The bottom line: Kalki Part 2 is officially in production from October 2026, aiming for 2028. No exact date is locked, and Ashwin has made it clear none will be until the shoot is done. We will update this page the moment a theatrical date is announced.
