Amitabh Bachchan to Join Kalki 2 Shoot; Continues to Command Massive Telugu Fanbase

Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan is set to join the shooting of Kalki 2 in the coming days, following the massive success of his Tollywood debut Kalki 2898 AD. Producer Lagadapati Sridhar says the megastar has once again proven why he remains an icon of Indian cinema.

“I’m glad Amitabh Bachchan tasted grand success with his maiden Telugu film. He looked stunning and delivered a terrific performance as the epic warrior Ashwathama, something very few actors can pull off,” Sridhar said. “His charisma is unmatched, and he remains a true institution of acting in Indian cinema.”

He further added that Bachchan has earned immense admiration among Telugu audiences. “Along with me, there are crores of Telugu fans who adored his style, baritone voice, and swag across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,” he noted.

Sridhar pointed out that Amitabh Bachchan had already dominated the Telugu box office during the 1970s to 1990s with blockbuster Hindi films such as Sholay, Amar Akbar Antony, Don, Naseeb, and Coolie. “His gangster classic Don ran for over a year at the Tarakarama Theatre in Hyderabad, clearly proving his crowd-pulling prowess. Sholay enjoyed silver jubilee runs in five to six centres in united Andhra Pradesh, while Cookie was also a major money spinner,” he recalled.

According to Sridhar, Bachchan’s popularity extended across Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Vizag, with Telugu audiences consistently thronging theatres for his films. “Even movies like Shehenshah created huge buzz and opened strongly in united Andhra Pradesh. However, his market in Telugu states gradually fizzled out over time,” he added.

After focusing largely on Bollywood films, Bachchan made a brief Telugu comeback with Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, starring megastar Chiranjeevi. “Unfortunately, it failed to set the box office on fire. The role was poorly etched for an actor of Amitabh’s stature, which disappointed his Telugu fans,” says director Hemanth Madhukar.

However, he firmly believes that Kalki has restored Bachchan’s glory in Telugu cinema. “As Ashwathama, he delivered an author-backed role filled with substance and even eclipsed Prabhas in a few scenes with his sheer acting calibre,” he said. “At 83 years of age, Amitabh Bachchan is still choosing powerful roles and is bound to grip audiences once again in Kalki 2.”