‘Kalki 2898 AD: Part 2’: Composer Santhosh Narayanan calls sequel his best work yet; calls first film a big learning

Music composer Santhosh Narayanan recently spoke about the sequel to the much-anticipated Prabhas starrer ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ directed by Nag Ashwin. He shared that he feels his work is in the upcoming second instalment is his best.

Santhosh Narayanan on ‘Kalki 2’ music

In an interview with Mirchi Tamil, Santhosh Narayanan was asked which of his works he feels is the best. He clearly said that the upcoming Kalki 2 will be special for him. He said, “The upcoming Kalki 2 will be my best work. I want it to be my best work. I am putting in the efforts for it.”

First film was a big learning

Santhosh Narayanan also spoke about how the first ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ helped the whole team grow. He explained that the film took a long time to make and taught them many things. He said, “The first film was a huge learning to everyone. We worked on the film for 2-3 years, and we figured out the world, so we began working for the sequel already.” He made it clear that the world of ‘Kalki’ is now well understood, and that makes the sequel stronger.

When asked about the shooting update, Santhosh Narayanan said the team is prepared. But there is one big challenge. He said, “Everybody is ready for the shoot. There is a jugalbandi of actors in the film. Since everybody in the cast are mega stars, coordinating them is tough.”

Deepika Padukone exits the sequel

Meanwhile, the film was in the news earlier in September 2025, when makers officially announced that Deepika Padukone would not return for ‘Kalki 2’. The statement said, “This is to officially announce that @deepikapadukone will not be a part of the upcoming sequel of Kalki 2898 AD.” It also added that they decided to part ways after careful thought. A similar situation earlier happened with Prabhas’ ‘Spirit’, where Deepika was replaced later by Triptii Dimri after differences with director Sandeep Reddy Vanga.

‘Kalki 2898 AD’ was a huge box office success; it made over Rs 1042 crore worldwide. The featured Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan in key roles.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”