Bollywood, famed for its lavish song-and-dance numbers and huge manufacturing crews, now finds itself confronting a brand new form of spectacle: synthetic intelligence.
From altering iconic endings to producing complete movies, AI is shaking up India’s multibillion-dollar movie trade, elevating alarm for some, pleasure for others.
The debate first erupted when producers re-released the 2013 hit “Raanjhanaa” with an AI-modified finale, when the Hindi movie was dubbed into India’s southern language of Tamil.
The new ending modified the tragic loss of life finale right into a hopeful one — with the protagonist’s eyes seen to flicker open — triggering outrage from director Aanand L. Rai and star Dhanush.
They decried the change as a violation of inventive rights.
“This alternate ending has stripped the film of its very soul,” Dhanush posted on social media, after the brand new model was launched in August.
“The concerned parties went ahead with it despite my clear objection,” Dhanush mentioned, calling the usage of AI to change movies “a deeply concerning precedent for both art and artists”.
“It threatens the integrity of storytelling and the legacy of cinema”, he added.
Director Rai mentioned that whereas AI is “definitely the future… it is not there to change the past”.
Then, days later, leisure agency Collective Artists’ Network introduced India’s first absolutely AI-generated function movie, “Chiranjeevi Hanuman -– The Eternal”.
The mythological epic, set for a 2026 launch, goals to merge historical legend with cutting-edge expertise for a world viewers, telling the story of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman.
Not all filmmakers have been impressed.
“And so, it begins,” wrote filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane on social media. “Who needs writers and directors when it’s ‘Made in AI’?”
‘Flesh and blood’
The trade is bracing for a combat.
On one facet are those that see AI as a cost-saving disruptor able to changing armies of extras and technicians in Bollywood’s famously labour-intensive productions.
On the opposite are defenders of artistry, unpredictability, and human expression.
Some see alternative in utilizing AI to spice up conventional movies.
“I don’t think AI means there can’t be flesh and blood,” mentioned director Shakun Batra, who has created a five-part quick movie sequence utilizing AI. “The best future would be when two skill sets merge.”
But he insists that expertise should complement, not override, human creativity.
“I don’t encourage AI as a replacement to human endeavor of expression,” mentioned Batra, identified for emotional Bollywood dramas comparable to “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu”, “Kapoor & Sons” and “Gehraiyaan”.
Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, director of classics comparable to “Masoom”, “Mr. India”, and the 1998 film “Elizabeth” that was nominated for seven Academy Awards, shrugged off the menace.
He mentioned AI couldn’t change good storytelling.
“The best stories are unpredictable and AI cannot handle unpredictability,” he advised AFP. “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.”
Kapur mentioned AI can be harmful just for filmmakers who depend on formulaic tropes.
“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.”
Instead, he mentioned AI, at its greatest, would open the trade to new concepts.
“AI is a hugely democratic technology because it gives opportunities to those who would never get it,” he mentioned. “How many people in India can afford to go to film schools?”
The emergence of AI would initially hit high-budget movies comparable to superhero motion pictures the place you might be “relying on action”, Kapur mentioned.
Kapur is actively integrating AI into his personal work, and even plans to ascertain an AI-focused movie faculty in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum.
“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 mentioned.
But filmmakers additionally level out that the way forward for motion pictures lies within the palms of the viewers.
“Raanjhanaa” director Rai says he was comforted by the help of his followers backing the unchanged model, even 12 years after its unique launch.
“The way they reacted to AI is much bigger than the way I reacted,” he mentioned. “It is more of their film than mine.”
© 2025 AFP