A concept illustrator and designer has accused the makers of the 'Kalki 2898 AD' trailer of copying his artwork without permission. The scene in question, depicting a dystopian city in the year 2898 AD, bears a striking resemblance to his own work published a decade ago. Expressing his disappointment on social media, the artist highlighted the unauthorized use of his art and questioned the ethics of such practices in the creative industry. The controversy has sparked outrage among netizens, who are calling out the film's team for plagiarism despite the star-studded cast, including Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, and Disha Patani.
The opening scene of the 'Kalki 2898 AD' trailer which shows a dystopian city is the scene in question. The scene is set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2898 AD, and he posted his own work, which was published 10 years ago, and both of the frames have a striking resemblance. The makers of Kalki 2898 AD, Vyjayanthi Movies have been called out by the concept illustrator and designer for copying his artwork without his permission. Sharing the collage, 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 and Outrage as Artist Accuses Sci-Fi Film Makers of Plagiarism, Social Media Erupts in Support:
After Sung called out the makers for using his artwork, social media users came forward to support him, and slam the film’s team. The much-anticipated sci-fi movie 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 a user in the comments section of his Instagram post, with one person writing, '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 Saga comic book series published by Image Comics. A lot of designs from the trailer of the film 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 his views, and asked him to sue the makers.
'This is shameful and disappointing. They just copied and pasted a 10-year-old artwork on 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 Tollywood sub because of fanboys,' read a post on Reddit.
There were some people who 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 is yet to react to the accusation.
Dive into Dystopian Kashi with Kalki 2898 AD Ashwathama Returns Premieres June 27:
Get ready to witness the journey and get into the future in 'Kalki 2898 AD', where survival in the city of Kashi is a struggle. As citizens and scientists eagerly await reincarnation, the return of Ashwathama from the Mahabharata after years in hiding adds a thrilling twist. Catch the epic tale on the big screen starting June 27.'