Kalki 2898 AD: Anand Mahindra Shares Insights on Building Bujji
The custom-made vehicle for Kalki 2898 AD was revealed at an event in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Anand shared how Nag's dream became a reality.
Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Nag Ashwin after Bujji, a custom-made robotic vehicle from Prabhas' film Kalki 2898 AD, was unveiled at an event in Hyderabad on Wednesday. He remembered when the director reached out to him over X and asked for help in building the vehicle, sharing how it finally happened.
Prabhas and Bujji in a still from Kalki 2898 AD.
Sharing the teaser that introduced Bujji, Prabhas’ character Bhairava’s sidekick, along with a screenshot of their old Tweet, Anand wrote, “Fun stuff does happen on X…We’re so proud of @nagashwin7 and his group of filmmakers who think big…and I mean REALLY big. Our team in Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai helped the Kalki team achieve its vision for a futuristic vehicle by simulating the powertrain design, structure, and performance.”
He added, “The vehicle runs on two Mahindra e-motors powering the rear spherical wheel! And Jayem Automotives put it all together…Let the games begin…” Nag replied, thanking him for helping them realize their dream. He also revealed that Mahindra helped in particular with building the vehicle’s tires, writing, “Thank you, sir... for helping us dream the impossible...and for giving our #bujji its wings (tires..).”
Bujji from Kalki 2898 AD
Nag and Prabhas first showed a video of a cute robot getting impatient while the team of Kalki 2898 AD builds her ‘body’. On Wednesday, they held an event to launch the custom-made vehicle, which was driven around and shown off by Prabhas at Ramoji Film City. Introducing the team who built Bujji at the event, Nag said, “The name Bujji sounds small, but it’s very special to us. Kalki 2898 AD is a tough film to make.”
He added, “I didn’t study engineering. I Tweeted to Anand Mahindra for help. He activated his team. They passed us on to Jayam Motors in Coimbatore. It’s a very experimental racing car-building company. It requires huge research to build a car with such features. This is something we achieved here. The car is massive. We customized and built it step by step, all for Kalki and Bhairava. I want to thank the whole team of Mahindra, the team of Jayam Motors, and team Kalki.”
Prabhas said, “My director tortured me for three years. I just wanted to come to the event casually. But Nag Ashwin made me perform these stunts. It was his idea to tease fans that I have ‘someone special’ to build curiosity too. Bujji is very special. If you ask me to choose, I will pick Bujji’s body over its brain. Like all of you, I’m eagerly waiting to watch the movie. I hope you liked Bujji's teaser.”
