While Nag Ashwin and Sandeep Reddy Vanga seem to get along well, the internet is divided over whether Nag’s recent post was a dig at Sandeep’s hit film. Nag Ashwin celebrated the success of his film, “Kalki 2898 AD,” which crossed the ₹1000 crore mark, in an Instagram story. In his post, he highlighted that the film achieved this milestone without featuring ‘gore’ or ‘obscenity’. He later deleted the post after realizing some people saw it as a criticism of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s “Animal.”
Nag shared a new poster of Prabhas as Karna in “Kalki 2898 AD” and wrote, “This milestone…this number…is obviously massive for a young team like ours…but the fact that we achieved it without blood, gore, obscenity, provocative or exploitative content, means so much…a big thank you to the audience and the actors who stood behind us. Indian Cinema #repatikosam (for tomorrow).”
People Split on Post
While Nag might have simply meant that “Kalki 2898 AD” succeeded without typical commercial elements, many believed he was taking a jab at Sandeep’s “Animal.” One user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a screenshot of Nag’s Instagram story, saying, “The budget of Kalki is 4 times that of Animal and has a big cast like Amitabh, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, Dulquer Salman, etc., and you’re comparing it to Vanga’s film, which was a blockbuster with just music, screenplay, and Ranbir Kapoor.”
Another user wrote, “Vanga made Animal with a third of Kalki’s budget and didn’t misrepresent mythological characters or have a huge star cast. Despite earning over ₹930 crore, he didn’t boast about it. Soon, he will outshine Nag Ashwin.”
However, some defended Nag, saying Sandeep’s fans were misrepresenting “Animal.” One user stated, “If you think Nag Ashwin is taking a dig at Sandeep Reddy Vanga, then you’re admitting Animal relies on obscenity and provocative content.”
Some Prabhas fans seemed unconcerned, given that Prabhas has a good lineup of films. One shared a clip from the Malayalam film “Premalu,” showing the lead dancing, and wrote, “Now, Sandeep Vanga will make ‘Spirit’ with a vengeance to surpass ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ numbers. Nag Ashwin will make ‘Kalki 2’ to surpass ‘Spirit’s’ numbers. Meanwhile, Prashanth Neel will be preparing sets for ‘Salaar 2’ to surpass both. Prabhas Fans.”
Another fan wrote, “Nag Ashwin’s story was about how his movie reached ₹1000 crore without criticizing other films. People are provoking Vanga to focus on ‘Spirit’.”
Despite the online drama, Nag and Sandeep seem to have a friendly relationship. Before “Kalki 2898 AD” was released, Sandeep shared the film’s trailer on X, saying he ‘saw it three times’ and told Nag it was ‘time to party’.
