‘The prelude world is similar to the film, although more light-hearted’

Bujji & Bhairava has received enthusiastic approval from fans, and director Nag Ashwin reacts to its success.
Now, opening up about the prelude, Nag Ashwin said: “I always felt that it’s more fun to go to films whose characters you already know and are invested in… that’s why Marvel works so well… I wanted to see if we could pull that off, even in a small way. When we started this, we didn’t know how hard it would be… we started with 4 episodes… but in almost 2 years, we could only finish 2.”
The story of this two-episode prelude is set in the year 2896 AD, in the futuristic, albeit dystopian, city of Kasi. Bhairava is a bounty hunter, and Bujji is an AI pilot of a cargo ship. Both suffer setbacks in their journeys, and an unlikely partnership blooms, setting the stage for adventure.
While spin-off animation series often attempt to cash in on successful films, the team behind Kalki has introduced a series as a prelude. The two episodes, each a little over 14 minutes long, establish the world of Kalki and are available in English, Telugu, Hindi, and Spanish, catering to a wider audience.
Adding more about working on the prelude, Nag Ashwin said, “We found a new style, didn’t compromise on anything: the writing, the lighting, the detailing. We would have seen these 2 episodes over 200 times, at least to get it right… It’s a lot of hard work to make things look easy. The prelude world is similar to the film, although a little more lighthearted. It helps get people used to the characters and the world.”