Helmed by Nag Ashwin and featuring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan in key roles, Kalki 2898 AD is one of the most anticipated movies of 2024. Over the past two weeks, the makers have released two trailers, increasing fans’ excitement for the science fiction mythological drama set to hit the big screen, but also attracted controversies around plagiarism.
Cited as the most expensive Indian film to date, Kalki 2898 AD draws inspiration from the Hindu mythological saga of Lord Vishnu’s last avatar, Kalki. The movie’s futuristic setting distinguishes it from our current world and fans are excited to see it on the big screens. However, amidst the anticipation for a release, the film is facing accusations of plagiarism from a Hollywood concept artist.
A Hollywood concept artist recently took to their ‘X’ page to claim the makers of Kalki 2898 AD plagiarised his work from Star Trek: Prodigy. Oliver posted, “Sad to see that some of the work I did for Star Trek: Prodigy got stolen by Vyjayanthi movies in their trailer. This is the matte painting I did for Star Trek under the direction of Ben Hibon and Alessandro Taini and then as it appears in the trailer.” He also mentioned that the makers allegedly plagiarized work from another concept artist Sung Choi.
They also stole work directly from the very talented Sung Choi. pic.twitter.com/OUt6EZrrJV
— Oliver Beck (@OliverBeckArt) June 13, 2024
In an interview with Indian Express, Oliver Beck elaborated on the plagiarism claims, stating, “It might be difficult to see the plagiarism when you are not an artist. You might not see it immediately, but all my artist friends that I have talked to and the artist community are very clear that this was referenced from my work. You can clearly see that the main takeaways are the color palettes and shapes. It is too much of a coincidence because they also contacted me to work on this film. So, they know my portfolio, and they have seen my work.”
Oliver Beck revealed that he was approached by the makers of Kalki 2898 AD to work on the film, but things didn’t work out. This incident has shaped his view of the Indian film industry, leading to some negative perceptions.
“I actually thought it could be a viable option to work in the Indian film industry because it is always good to be diverse as an artist. Also, in Hollywood, there was a strike going on, and there was not much work there. But after this incident, I talked to a few artists from India, and they told me that it isn’t a nice industry to work in. They spend a lot of money on actors, but there is no budget left to pay artists, and they resort to plagiarizing and doing some cheap work, which is really unpleasant. I spoke to another person who worked on ‘Kalki 2898 AD,’ but they quit after only a week because of a bad work environment. I have received a lot of negative feedback, and now I am not interested in working in that industry,” shared the artist.
Kalki 2898 AD is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 27, 2024.
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