Nitin Zihani Choudhary on ‘Kalki 2898 AD’: We designed guns with no trigger or barrel; it was like trying to reinvent the wheel

Nitin Zihani Choudhary's intricate production design for Kalki 2898 AD, from the Kurukshetra war portions to futuristic sci-fi of Kasi, Complex and Shambala.

Towards the end of 2019, Nitin Zihani Choudhary met director Nag Ashwin. By then, his production design for Tumbbad (2018) had fetched him recognition and accolades. An alumnus of the College of Art, New Delhi, Nitin had worked on Tumbbad for six years. On learning this, Nag Ashwin remarked jovially that he would likely be tied up with Kalki 2898 AD for the next four years. “I was the first to be on board (in the technical team) since it would take time to develop the designs,” says Nitin in an interview with The Hindu. 

Nitin was intrigued by the storyline that brought together the Kurukshetra war and futuristic, dystopian science fiction. “I knew it would offer me a big space to play with the design,” he says about the film starring Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan, that has garnered more than ₹900 crore worldwide.

A BFA (bachelor of fine arts) graduate with a keen interest in painting, illustrations, and sculpture, Nitin also learnt 2D and 3D animation. “My parents were concerned that I was not focusing on one aspect of art.” When he did storyboards for advertisements and then entered cinema, all his skills could be put to use.  In Kalki 2898 AD, he also brainstormed with the 3D and visual effects teams.

Nitin designed posters for director Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus, paving the way for Tumbbad. Atrangi Re followed. “Atrangi Re gave me a taste of mainstream Hindi cinema and was a lovely experience.” 

When Nitin began working on Kalki, the screenplay was still evolving. The design language evolved as Nitin’s team along with concept artists and art directors worked on the city of Kasi, Complex, Shambala and Kurukshetra.

At the time, Nitin had asked Nag Ashwin why he wanted to make an unusual film for which there was no precedence. “He had been working on the idea for a while and had his reasons.” At one point, Nitin wondered if the entire story would fit into a single film. “Somewhere down the line, it evolved into two parts, given the number of characters and their arcs. Take Bhairava, for example. He starts as a selfish guy who wants to go to the Complex and by the end of the first film, his character arc is still developing. He is not yet the perfect man.”

In the film, Kasi is portrayed as a dilapidated city. The mighty Ganges has dried up, and people are in despair; there is scarcity of food and water. “We planned a mini city,” says Nitin. “We built a huge set (at Shankarpally, Hyderabad) with the main street, alleys, a grand entrance, interiors, and other elements. For some portions, we ensured that the sets were at least 400x400 metres so that there would be enough depth to capture on camera. The height went up to 30 feet.”