Bollywood, famed for its lavish song-and-dance numbers and vast production crews, now finds itself confronting a new kind of spectacle: artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
From altering iconic endings to generating entire films, AI is shaking up India’s multibillion-dollar film industry, raising alarm for some, excitement for others.<\/p>\n
The debate first erupted when producers re-released the 2013 hit “Raanjhanaa” with an AI-modified finale, when the Hindi film was dubbed into India’s southern language of Tamil.<\/p>\n
The new ending changed the tragic death finale into a hopeful one — with the protagonist’s eyes seen to flicker open — triggering outrage from director Aanand L. Rai and star Dhanush.<\/p>\n
They decried the change as a violation of creative rights.<\/p>\n
“This alternate ending has stripped the film of its very soul,” Dhanush posted on social media, after the new version was released in August.<\/p>\n
“The concerned parties went ahead with it despite my clear objection,” Dhanush said, calling the use of AI to alter films “a deeply concerning precedent for both art and artists”.<\/p>\n
“It threatens the integrity of storytelling and the legacy of cinema”, he added.<\/p>\n
Director Rai said that while AI is “definitely the future… it is not there to change the past”.<\/p>\n
Then, days later, entertainment firm Collective Artists’ Network announced\u00a0India’s first fully AI-generated feature film,\u00a0“Chiranjeevi Hanuman -\u2013 The Eternal”.<\/p>\n
The mythological epic, set for a 2026 release, aims to merge ancient legend with cutting-edge technology for a global audience, telling the story of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman.<\/p>\n
Not all filmmakers were impressed.<\/p>\n
“And so, it begins,” wrote filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane on social media. “Who needs writers and directors when it’s ‘Made in AI’?”<\/p>\n
– ‘Flesh and blood’ –<\/p>\n
The industry is bracing for a fight.<\/p>\n
On one side are those who see AI as a cost-saving disruptor capable of replacing armies of extras and technicians in Bollywood’s famously labour-intensive productions.<\/p>\n
On the other are defenders of artistry, unpredictability, and human expression.<\/p>\n
Some see opportunity in using AI to boost traditional films.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think AI means there can’t be flesh and blood,” said director Shakun Batra, who has created a five-part short film series using AI. “The best future would be when two skill sets merge.”<\/p>\n
But he insists that technology must complement, not override, human creativity.<\/p>\n
“I don’t encourage AI as a replacement to human endeavour of expression,” said Batra, known for emotional Bollywood dramas such as “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu”, “Kapoor & Sons” and “Gehraiyaan”.<\/p>\n
Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, director of classics such as “Masoom”, “Mr. India”, and the 1998 movie “Elizabeth” that was nominated for seven Academy Awards, shrugged off the threat.<\/p>\n
He said AI could not replace good storytelling.<\/p>\n
“The best stories are unpredictable and AI cannot handle unpredictability,” he told AFP.<\/p>\n
“AI can’t, at this moment, create great performances on screen — because if you look at any big stars of this world, it is their eyes that act, not their face.”<\/p>\n
Kapur said AI would be destructive only for filmmakers who rely on formulaic tropes.<\/p>\n
“If your movies are predictable… then of course, AI will destroy you,” he added. “Perhaps some kid somewhere will be able to do what you are doing.”<\/p>\n
Instead, he said AI, at its best, would open the industry to new ideas.<\/p>\n
“AI is a hugely democratic technology because it gives opportunities to those who would never get it,” he said. “How many people in India can afford to go to film schools?”<\/p>\n
– ‘Level the playing field’ –<\/p>\n
The emergence of AI would initially hit high-budget films such as superhero movies where you are “relying on action”, Kapur said.<\/p>\n
Kapur is actively integrating AI into his own work, and even plans to establish an AI-focused film school in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum.<\/p>\n
“AI will empower creators, level the playing field for independent filmmakers, and even lead to the creation of entirely new, AI-generated movie stars and characters,” he said.<\/p>\n
But filmmakers also point out that the future of movies lies in the hands of the audience.<\/p>\n
“Raanjhanaa” director Rai says he was comforted by the support of his fans backing the unchanged version, even 12 years after its original release.<\/p>\n
“The way they reacted to AI is much bigger than the way I reacted,” he said. “It is more of their film than mine.”<\/p>\n
str-abh\/pjm\/mtp\/rsc<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bollywood, famed for its lavish song-and-dance numbers and vast production crews, now finds itself confronting a new kind…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":190637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[691,738,106596,106598,1567,106597,158,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-190636","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-bollywood-actor-dhanush","11":"tag-director-rai","12":"tag-india","13":"tag-shekhar-kapur","14":"tag-technology","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115126830518713773","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}