Nag Ashwin’s ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ is making headlines again for two very different reasons. On one hand, it is reported that the film has amassed a whopping advance sale in North America, breaking the advance booking box office. Meanwhile, the film is under attack from a South Korean artist who has accused the makers of plagiarism.

Since the release of the trailer, netizens have spotted resemblances between the upcoming dystopian sci-fi and renowned Hollywood titles including ‘Dune,’ ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ and ‘Blade Runner.’ Now, South Korean artist Sung Choi, who has collaborated with Marvel Studios, Warner Brothers, Netflix Animation, and Disney, has accused the makers of plagiarism, and the evidence shared by him has raised eyebrows on social media.

Sung Choi took to Instagram to share a side-by-side comparison between a frame from ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ and his work published 10 years ago. The artist captioned the post, “Unauthorized use of the artwork is a bad practice. This makes me question doing art in this lawless environment. @Kalki2898AD @VyjayanthiFilms #kalki2898ad.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sung Choi (@sungchoiart)

Reacting to the striking resemblance, users have voiced their support for Choi’s work, and the makers of the slated release are under attack. While some are bashing the film for plagiarism, others suggest that Nag Ashwin, the director of the film, might be unaware of his VFX team’s actions.

Amid the controversy over plagiarism, the film has surpassed ‘RRR’ as the fastest Indian film to cross the US $1 million pre-sales mark in North America. Breaking the advance booking circuit, the film has already sold 32,000 tickets in over 450 locations, racking up around $985,981 in the United States, with $79,019 pre-sales revenue coming from Canada. Given the current trend and with two weeks to go before the film hits theaters, it can be assumed that ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ will surpass the $2 million mark soon. It remains to be seen if the upcoming film will be able to beat the total premiere day sales of Rajamouli’s ‘RRR,’ which amassed nearly $3 million in 2022.

‘Kalki 2898 AD’ is slated for a June 27 release worldwide, with the premiere taking place in North America on June 26. The film is by far the most expensive Indian film, made with a budget of 600 crores. It boasts an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Hassan, and Disha Patani.