Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 Budget Breakdown

Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 Budget Breakdown: Box Office Projections, Star Fees, and Profit Analysis

When Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD hit theaters in June 2024, it wasn’t just a movie release; it was a tectonic shift in Indian cinema. Grossing a staggering ₹1,180 crore worldwide, the dystopian sci-fi epic blended Hindu mythology with futuristic world-building, proving that India could deliver Hollywood-tier spectacles on a fraction of the cost. Fast forward to February 2026, and the cinematic landscape is buzzing with a singular question: How massive will Kalki 2898 AD: Part 2 actually be?

The stakes have never been higher. With the Kalki Cinematic Universe (KCU) now firmly established, producers Vyjayanthi Movies are doubling down. However, the road to the sequel hasn’t been without its behind-the-scenes drama. From a heavily publicized casting shake-up involving Deepika Padukone’s exit to a ballooning production budget that threatens to make it the most expensive Indian film in history, Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 is already a case study in high-risk, high-reward filmmaking.

As veteran trade analysts, we at CinemaVault Insights have been tracking the money trail. In this comprehensive intelligence report, we break down the verified ₹700+ crore budget, the revised star cast salaries, real-time shooting updates, and the pre-release economics that will dictate whether this magnum opus becomes a historic blockbuster or a costly misfire.

The ₹750+ Crore Behemoth: Production Budget Breakdown

When C. Aswani Dutt bankrolled the first installment at ₹600 crore ($75 million), industry insiders scoffed at the risk. Today, that gamble looks like a masterstroke. For the sequel, Dutt has publicly confirmed a baseline budget of ₹700 crore. However, factoring in inflation, the extended shooting timeline stretching well into 2026, and the massive scale-up required to depict the full-blown war against Supreme Yaskin, trade estimates place the final landing cost closer to the ₹750–800 crore mark.

Why the sudden surge in costs? The first film spent heavily on R&D—building the custom AI vehicle “Bujji,” designing the Complex, and conceptualizing the weapons of the Kali Yuga. While those physical and digital assets are reusable, Part 2 demands a significantly higher volume of complex VFX shots. The climax of the sequel is expected to feature a multi-realm battle involving Ashwatthama, Bhairava, and a newly empowered Yaskin, requiring top-tier global VFX studios to work overtime.

Furthermore, the marketing and distribution (P&A) budget has been scaled up to ensure a wider pan-global footprint, targeting non-traditional markets in East Asia, Russia, and Latin America where Part 1 found unexpected traction on streaming platforms.

Estimated Budget Allocation

BUDGET COMPONENT	ESTIMATED COST (₹ CRORES)	PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL
Above-the-Line (Cast & Director Fees)	₹180 – ₹200 Cr	25%
Production & Sets (Shankarpally & RFC)	₹150 – ₹170 Cr	21%
VFX, CGI & Post-Production	₹250 – ₹280 Cr	35%
Action Choreography & Stunts	₹50 – ₹60 Cr	8%
Prints & Advertising (P&A) Global	₹80 – ₹90 Cr	11%
Total Estimated Landing Cost	₹710 – ₹800 Cr	100%

(Note: Figures are based on trade estimates, producer statements, and current 2026 production run-rates.)

Star Cast Salaries: Profit-Sharing, Power Plays, and a Major Exit

The remuneration structure for Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 is a fascinating study in modern Indian film economics. Gone are the days of flat fees for megastars. Today, back-end deals and profit-sharing dictate the terms.

Prabhas: The ₹100 Crore Anchor

Prabhas, who plays the morally ambiguous bounty hunter Bhairava (and the reincarnation of Karna), took a reported ₹80 crore upfront for the first film, supplemented by a generous profit-sharing model. Given the first film’s ₹1,180 crore global gross, his total takeaway easily breached the ₹120 crore mark. For Part 2, trade sources indicate Prabhas has maintained a similar structure: a slightly higher upfront fee of ₹90-100 crore, ensuring the upfront cash flow of the production isn’t entirely crippled, while retaining a lucrative percentage of the theatrical share.

Kamal Haasan & Amitabh Bachchan: The Veteran Titans

Kamal Haasan’s portrayal of the skeletal, menacing Supreme Yaskin was a brief but chilling highlight of Part 1. In the sequel, Yaskin is the primary antagonist. Consequently, Haasan’s remuneration has reportedly seen a bump from ₹20 crore to the ₹30-35 crore bracket. Amitabh Bachchan, whose towering performance as Ashwatthama was hailed as the soul of the first film, is reportedly commanding a fee in the range of ₹25-30 crore.

The Deepika Padukone Exit & Sai Pallavi’s Entry

Perhaps the biggest trade shocker of late 2025 and early 2026 was the official announcement that Deepika Padukone would not return as SUM-80 (Sumathi). While initial PR statements cited her desire to focus on her daughter, Dua, alongside “mutual creative differences,” insider chatter suggests scheduling conflicts played a massive role.

Replacing a pan-India A-lister is a daunting task, but Nag Ashwin has reportedly pulled a masterstroke by bringing in Sai Pallavi. Known for her immense organic popularity across the southern states and her formidable acting chops, Pallavi is heavily rumored to be stepping into the critical role of the mother of the Kalki avatar. Her remuneration is estimated at ₹6-8 crore—a fraction of Padukone’s ₹20 crore fee—which helps offset some of the budget escalation in the VFX department.

ACTOR	CHARACTER	ESTIMATED REMUNERATION
Prabhas	Bhairava / Karna	₹90 – ₹100 Cr (+ Profit Share)
Kamal Haasan	Supreme Yaskin	₹30 – ₹35 Cr
Amitabh Bachchan	Ashwatthama	₹25 – ₹30 Cr
Sai Pallavi (Rumored)	SUM-80 (Sumathi)	₹6 – ₹8 Cr
Disha Patani	Roxie	₹3 – ₹4 Cr

Real-Time Shooting Status & Release Timeline [February 2026 Update]

If you’re wondering when you can book your tickets, you’ll need a bit of patience. As of late February 2026, cameras have finally started rolling for the sequel.

According to verified reports from the sets in Shankarpally, Telangana, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan have commenced filming their combination sequences. These scenes are highly VFX-intensive and do not require Prabhas at this stage.

Prabhas is currently juggling a chaotic slate. He is wrapping up Hanu Raghavapudi’s period drama Fauji (slated for Dussehra 2026) and prepping for Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s highly anticipated cop thriller Spirit. Director Nag Ashwin has strategically planned the Kalki 2 schedule to capture the veteran actors’ portions first, allowing Prabhas to join the sets in a dedicated bulk-date schedule later in 2026.

Given the extensive post-production required for a film of this magnitude, the release date is realistically looking at mid-to-late 2027. Any rumors of a late 2026 release are highly optimistic and technically improbable given the 12-14 months of post-production required for the CGI.

Box Office Projections: Can Part 2 Breach the ₹2,000 Crore Mark?

To understand the box office potential of Kalki 2898 AD Part 2, we must look at the “Sequel Multiplier Effect” native to Indian cinema.

Historically, when a high-concept Indian film ends on a massive cliffhanger and is universally loved, the sequel experiences an exponential jump in its opening weekend. We saw this with Baahubali: The Beginning (₹600 Cr) jumping to Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (₹1,780 Cr), and KGF: Chapter 1 (₹250 Cr) exploding to KGF: Chapter 2 (₹1,200+ Cr).

Kalki 2898 AD (Part 1) already set a massive baseline:

Kalki 2898 AD (Part 1) Final Box Office Summary

TERRITORY / CATEGORY	BOX OFFICE COLLECTION (GROSS)
India Nett (All Languages)	₹770.50 Cr
India Gross	₹910.00 Cr
Overseas Gross	₹270.00 Cr ($32.5M)
Worldwide Total Gross	₹1,180.00 Cr

For Part 2, the hype is unprecedented. The first film opened to ₹180 crore worldwide on Day 1. Trade projections for Part 2 suggest an opening day in the vicinity of ₹250-280 crore globally, assuming ticket price inflation and wider IMAX/3D screen allocations.

If the sequel delivers on its narrative promises—specifically the highly anticipated showdown between Karna (Prabhas) and Ashwatthama against Yaskin—it is perfectly positioned to challenge the ₹2,000 crore global milestone. The North Indian (Hindi) belt, which contributed a massive ₹300+ crore to the first film, is fully primed. The Hindi audience has accepted Prabhas as a pan-India action star post-Salaar and Kalki, and the presence of Bollywood royalty like Amitabh Bachchan ensures maximum footfalls in the Hindi circuits.

Pre-Release Business & Profitability Matrix for Producers

How does a producer sleep at night with ₹800 crore on the line? By mastering the pre-release business. Vyjayanthi Movies is in a remarkably safe position, thanks to the immense goodwill generated by Part 1.

Theatrical Rights: Distributors across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, North India, and Tamil Nadu are reportedly ready to pay a 40% premium over Part 1’s prices. The worldwide theatrical rights alone are expected to fetch upwards of ₹600 crore on an advance basis.
Digital Streaming (OTT) Rights: Part 1 was split between Netflix (Hindi) and Amazon Prime Video (South languages), fetching roughly ₹200 crore combined. For Part 2, streaming giants are locked in a bidding war. Trade whispers suggest a unified global streaming deal could fetch between ₹250 to ₹300 crore.
Satellite and Audio: With Santhosh Narayanan returning to compose the score, audio rights, coupled with satellite television rights across five languages, are expected to add another ₹100 crore to the table.

Before a single theatrical ticket is sold, Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 will likely recover its entire production cost. Everything earned at the global box office will translate to pure theatrical share, ensuring massive windfalls for the distributors, exhibitors, and the profit-sharing cast.

Key Factors Behind the Hype & Potential Challenges

While the math looks glorious, the creative execution remains the ultimate wild card. Nag Ashwin carries the weight of a billion expectations.

The Expansion of the KCU: The sequel promises to dive deeper into the lore of the Mahabharata. The revelation of Bhairava as Karna was the cinematic high of 2024. Fans are now expecting to see more mythological titans, with rumors swirling about cameos representing Parashurama or even a glimpse of the Kalki avatar itself.

The VFX Burden: Indian audiences have become highly critical of subpar CGI. Kalki Part 1 narrowly avoided this by utilizing dark, dystopian aesthetics that masked some CGI limitations. Part 2, however, is expected to feature daylight battles and cosmic realms. The ₹250+ crore allocated to VFX must translate flawlessly on the premium large formats (IMAX) to justify the ticket prices.

The “Deepika Exit” Factor: While Sai Pallavi is a phenomenal actor with a cult following, Deepika Padukone brought a specific international glamour and a massive Bollywood fanbase to the table. The marketing team will need to work overtime to ensure the Hindi belt embraces Pallavi in this crucial role, though her raw acting talent makes her a critical darling who can easily win over audiences once the trailer drops.

The Final Trade Verdict

Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 is not just a film; it is a corporate juggernaut. It represents the pinnacle of the “Pan-India” formula: a Telugu superstar, Bollywood veterans, a Tamil cinema legend, and a universally resonant mythological core, all wrapped in a Hollywood-style sci-fi package.

As shooting progresses in Shankarpally through 2026, the industry is watching closely. If Nag Ashwin manages to stitch the emotional depth of the Mahabharata with the visual flair of Dune and Star Wars, this ₹800 crore gamble won’t just break box office records—it will permanently rewrite the economics of Indian cinema.

Written by the Editorial Team

Sources:

Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 Budget Breakdown