3 min readHyderabadJul 13, 2026 03:51 PM IST Director Nag Ashwin, who is known for staying away from social media debates, broke his silence on Saturday over the criticism of how Karna was portrayed in Kalki 2898 AD, telling his critics to read the Mahabharata before passing judgment. The response came after a social media post went viral following the release of Akhil Akkineni’s Lenin. A user praised actor Pramod Panju’s performance as the antagonist in Lenin and said that this was how Karna should be shown on screen. The comment quickly turned into a direct attack on Kalki 2898 AD, with the user accusing Nag Ashwin of glorifying Karna at the expense of Arjuna and calling the film’s climax “blasphemy.” The criticism was not new. Since Kalki 2898 AD released last year and became one of the biggest Indian films at the box office, a section of viewers and commentators has taken issue with how the film elevated Karna’s character, arguing that it diminished Arjuna’s stature and distorted the original epic. Lyricist Anantha Sriram …