There’s nothing original or particularly surprising about “Kalki 2898 AD,” a polished and expensive-looking Telugu-language Indian science-fiction adventure.

This big-budget fantasy, which grafts elements of “The Mahabharata” onto American sci-fi touchstones like “Star Wars” and “Mad Max,” brings to mind a few other recent Indian spectaculars, like “Brahmastra Part One: Shiva” and “Adipurush.” “Kalki 2898 AD” succeeds where most others have flailed simply by giving its dystopian countermyth a sense of proportion to match its gigundo scale.

Goofy, over-earnest, and just good enough where it counts, “Kalki 2898 AD” outdistances its competition simply by digging deeper than expected into its patchy lore’s rich melodramatic turf.

More like the J.J. Abrams-helmed “Star Wars” sequels than anything George Lucas made, “Kalki 2898 AD” takes place in a godless world with scarce resources, low birth rates, and no heroes except the self-interested.

Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan), a Palpatinian cyborg despot, rules the pseudo-Utopian Complex by proxy, through baby-faced Commander Manas (Saswata Chatterjee), an inexhaustible battalion of storm troopers, and a ton of amoral, bounty-seeking scavengers.

Headlining star Prabhas plays one such scavenger, Bhairava, a happy-go-lucky mooch who owes money, I mean credits, all around town.

Kalki 2898 - AD (2024) Hindi - The Best Quality Super Clean Hall Print