India, Sept. 24 -- After Kalki 2898 AD (2024) won two National Awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Production Design, director Nag Ashwin calls the wins "special". Speaking about the honour, Ashwin says awards were not on his mind while making the film, but he always believed its production design deserved praise. "We were doing some extremely impossible things, and I'm very happy that it got that recognition," says the filmmaker. He also credits the film's "great actors" (Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan) for pushing him to be sharper and ensuring that the story and scenes were "up to the mark". Recalling the film's most challenging sequences, Ashwin points to the climax featuring Ashwatthama (Amitabh) battling Bhairava (Prabhas) in Bujji (a three-wheeled AI car), as well as the Mahabharata portions. "It was really a complicated sequence because the action had proper story beats and had to keep improving," shares the 40-year-old. With the film's box-office success followed by National Award recognition, Ashwin says the focus for its sequel, Kalki 2898 AD - Part 2, will remain on the story rather than expectations. "What we will strive to do is stay honest to the story and make a film that can stand the test of time," he concludes....