Korean artiste accuses Kalki 2898 AD of plagiarism

The virtual world has been abuzz with discussions about the striking similarities between Nag Ashwin’s dystopian creation, Kalki 2898 Ad, and Hollywood biggies such as Dune and Mad Max: Fury Road. Recently, the makers have been accused of plagiarism by South Korean artist Sung Choi, who has worked for Marvel Studios, Disney, Warner Bros, and Netflix Animation.

The controversy centers on the opening scene of the Kalki 2898 Ad trailer, which depicts a dystopian city in a post-apocalyptic world. Sung Choi posted his own work, which was published 10 years ago, showing a frame with a striking resemblance to the one in the trailer.

The concept illustrator and designer called out the makers of Kalki 2898 Ad, Vyjayanthi Movies, for seemingly copying his artwork. Sharing a collage of the images, he wrote, "Unauthorized use of the artwork is a bad practice. This makes me question doing art in this lawless environment. @Kalki2898AD @VyjayanthiFilms #kalki2898ad.”

Netizens Express Shock

After Sung Choi called out the makers for plagiarizing his work, social media users rallied to support him and criticize the film’s team. The much-anticipated sci-fi tentpole stars Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, and Disha Patani, among others.

“I hope you pursue legal action if possible. This is awful,” wrote one user in the comments section of his Instagram post. Another user noted, “The whole trailer gives off the vibe of Epoch, Mad Max, Dune, and other films. The trailer of the film gives me the vibe of the Saga comic book series published by Image Comics. A lot of designs from the trailer are ripped off from the Halo series and Death Stranding too. I don’t know how some of the concept designers who worked on the film can stay silent.”

Some people also took to Reddit to express their views and urged Sung Choi to sue the makers. “This is shameful and disappointing. They just copied and pasted a 10-year-old artwork in literally the first frame of the trailer. Even the weapons and other stuff look directly ‘inspired’ by so many games and movies. I wonder what else people will spot which will be without any credits. I’m too afraid to post this in the Tollywood sub because of fanboys,” read a post on Reddit.

However, some people supported the director, saying, “Do you think Nag Ashwin knows how his VFX team got this image? He merely describes the scene and ‘experts’ deliver him the end product. Nag Ashwin is a decent person – let’s not assume anything.”

The film's team has yet to react to the accusation.

About Kalki 2898 Ad

Kalki 2898 Ad takes viewers into a dystopian world where humans struggle to survive in the city of Kashi. Citizens and scientists look forward to an incarnation while Ashwathama from the Mahabharata returns after decades of hiding from the world. The film is scheduled to release on the big screen on June 27.