Bhairava’s character in Kalki 2898 AD probably had the most striking arc compared to everybody else in the universe. Prabhas has played the character of Bhairava, and I believe it is one of those rare times where he gets to be humorous while portraying that trademark swag that he is famous for.
Spoiler Alert
Bhairava was living in Kashi, and the purpose of his life was to earn enough units so that he could pay the fees to enter The Complex. An individual needed to pay a million units to get entry into The Complex. Bhairava didn’t do any specific job, and he just went after each and every bounty that came his way. He knew that these petty bounties wouldn’t be able to help his cause, and he needed a big catch to realize his dreams of living a life of privilege inside The Complex. Bhairava was a man who procrastinated a lot; he dwelled in his own dreamland, and he hoped that one day everything would fall into place. But he had no clue what was going to happen to him in the near future.
Bhairava caught one rebel, but the bounty on his head was just around 5000 units. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to even go near his goal if he went like this. But then, one day, he struck the jackpot. There was a fugitive who had escaped from The Complex, and the bounty on her head was 5 million units. Bhairava knew that this was it for him. He knew that if he caught her, then his life would change forever. He knew that he would be able to enter The Complex and lead that aspirational life. But he didn’t know that the challenge was much more difficult than it seemed. The woman he was after was Sumati, or Sum 80, and she was the only one who had carried a child inside her womb for more than 150 days. She was the prophesied mother of the 10th avatar of Vishnu, and ages ago, Lord Krishna gave Ashwatthama the task of protecting her. Bhairava had never lost a fight before that day, but he didn’t know who he was up against. Ashwatthama was not a normal human being. He was cursed by Lord Krishna after he did some things in the battlefield Kurukshetra, but that didn’t mean that the man wasn’t powerful. Sumati was being taken by the soldiers of Shambala, and their truck was stopped when Bhairava and other bounty hunters came after them. Bhairava underestimated Ashwatthama but soon he realised the might of the old man. Bhairava was thrashed by the giant old man, and that’s when he realized that his gateway to The Complex wasn’t exactly going to be a cakewalk.
Bhairava was banned from entering The Complex after that, as while fighting Ashwatthama, he also called a lot of soldiers from The Complex. Bhairava was disappointed at first, but then he negotiated with Commander Manas and got his name removed. Bhairava told the commander that he was his only hope to get Sumati back. Commander Manas knew that his soldiers weren’t capable enough to get back Sumati, and so he agreed to Bhairava’s offer.
Bhairava came to Shambala, and he had a fierce battle with Ashwatthama. He had come prepared this time around, but still, the old man gave him a run for his life. It was in Shambala that we realized who Bhairava was. Ashwatthama saw him holding the weapon that Karn used on the battlefield at Kurukshetra. Ashwatthama realized that Bhairava was a reincarnation of the demigod Karna. Bhairava didn’t know that he had such powers within him, and it felt like he went into a trance-like state where he had a surge of power, and then he forgot about it the very next moment. I believe that in Kalki part 2 things will change once Bhairava realizes that he is not just a commoner and the fate of the entire world depends upon if he is able to stop Supreme Yaskin or not.It can be said that Bhairava symbolically represented Kala Bhairava, and I believe that Nag Ashwin took inspiration from both mythological characters. Bhairava, at the end of Kalki 2898 AD, took Sumati with her as he still wanted to get those units and was totally unaware of the bigger picture.
Bhairava, in the time to come, will definitely combine forces with Ashwatthama, and he will fight against the Supreme Yaskin to bring the reincarnation of Vishnu to Earth. What we will have to see is how long Bhairava takes to realize who he is. Yaskin was ready to carry out a full onslaught, and it was necessary for Ashwatthama to have people around him who helped him in the battle. I believe that Bhairava and Bujji together will be able to bring down The Complex, and they will create a fair and just society where people won’t be discriminated against on the basis of their caste, creed, financial capacity, or any other aspect. A fair society is what Karna asked the Lord just before taking his last breaths, and I believe that, after being reincarnated as Bhairava, he will be able to do that.
