Ask Onix
AI emerges as Bollywood's newest collaborator
India's film industry is rapidly adopting artificial intelligence, reshaping how movies are made-from low-budget projects to blockbuster productions. While Hollywood grapples with resistance, Bollywood filmmakers are embracing AI tools to cut costs, streamline workflows, and even revive deceased actors.
From pitch to screen: AI as a filmmaker's ally
Vivek Anchalia, a screenwriter and director, faced rejection when pitching his latest project to producers. His solution? AI. Using tools like Midjourney for visuals and ChatGPT as a creative sounding board, he produced Naisha, a romantic film, in under a year. The 75-minute movie, 95% AI-generated, cost less than 15% of a typical Bollywood production.
"Why wait for a studio's approval when AI lets me make the movie on my terms?" Anchalia said. After the trailer's release, the film's AI-generated protagonist, Naisha, secured an endorsement deal with a Hyderabad-based jeweler.
AI in big-budget productions
AI isn't just for indie filmmakers. Established directors like Jithin Laal used it to visualize complex scenes in the Malayalam blockbuster Ajayante Randam Moshanam. Arun Chandu, another filmmaker, created a post-apocalyptic sci-fi satire, Gaganachari, for just $240,000-less than the cost of an Indian wedding-using Stable Diffusion for military sequences.
Sound designers Sankaran AS and KC Sidharthan leverage AI tools like Soundly and Krotos Studio's Reformer to edit effects in real time. "If a filmmaker has a last-minute idea, we can execute it immediately," Sankaran said.
Cultural clashes and ethical dilemmas
Despite its advantages, AI's limitations are evident. Guhan Senniappan, director of the Tamil superhero film Weapon, noted AI's struggles with hyperlocal references. "It doesn't understand Indian mythology," he said, adding that culturally rich scenes still require human storyboard artists.
MG Srinivas faced similar challenges while cloning the voice of actor Shiva Rajkumar for the Kannada film Ghost. Engineers had to manually adjust regional phonetics to avoid inconsistencies like lisps. "AI can't grasp emotional nuance," Srinivas said.
Legal gray areas
India lacks comprehensive laws to protect actors' likenesses or voices from AI misuse. Anamika Jha, a media entertainment lawyer, warned that current protections don't extend to AI-generated imitations. "The law isn't keeping pace with technology," she said.
Reviving the past
Director Srijit Mukherji used AI to recreate the voices of deceased Bengali icons Satyajit Ray and Uttam Kumar in Padatik and Oti Uttam. While families consented, Jha noted that posthumous personality rights aren't legally recognized in India, leaving actors vulnerable to unauthorized use.
Hollywood's resistance vs. Bollywood's embrace
While Hollywood's actors and writers staged strikes in 2023 to protest AI's encroachment, Indian cinema has largely welcomed the technology. Veteran actor Sathyaraj, de-aged for Weapon, called AI a tool to extend careers in an ageist industry. "Why not use it?" he asked.
Andrew Jacob D'Crus, whose team de-aged Mammootty for the thriller Rekhachithram, faced challenges with grainy archival footage. "AI can hallucinate details," he said, emphasizing the need for human oversight to avoid "lazy storytelling."
The future: collaboration or replacement?
Arun Chandu, who teaches AI in cinema, has students compare AI-generated films with traditional ones. "The AI version is faster, but the human version is more nuanced," he said.
Aniket Bera, who restored a 1899 film fragment, warned that AI risks rewriting history by altering visual language. "It doesn't understand symbolism," he said, stressing the need for human review.
Mukherji remains optimistic. "AI isn't a monster-it's a tool to aid creativity," he said. "Humans should master it, not fear it."
