AI is being used today by various industries. Indian filmmakers have discussed the impact of AI, with some downplaying its threat and others taking it seriously.
AI has become a topic of debate in the Indian film industry. Some Indian filmmakers are downplaying AI’s threat, while others are taking it seriously. The sequel to Masoom (1983), which gently dealt infidelity and social norms, was directed by Shekhar Kapur, who used ChatGPT. The AI-generated storyline showed the boy resenting his father, changing their relationship from the first film.
Each year, India produces the most films in the world, employing 850,000 people. As AI techniques improve and the internet is full of eerie deepfake videos of Indian stars like Rashmika Mandanna and Alia Bhatt, economic and ethical issues arise. Former Producers Guild of India president Siddharth Roy Kapur says there hasn’t been an organized discourse around AI in India yet, but it’s time because AI technologies are getting smarter every second.
Keitan Yadav and Harry Hingorani, who manage Redchillies.vfx, argue AI is far from “push of a button” readiness. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan created the visual effects firm nearly two decades ago. The studio did visual effects for Khan’s Jawan and Pathaan, two of India’s biggest successes, this year. Employers want employees to know about AI, but some experts say it can simplify and speed up filmmaking. Redchillies.vfx’s Shilpa Hingorani is interested in automating “frame by frame” VFX operations that take “long time periods to even generate a preview for the client.”
Humans work better than AI. Senniappan favored a live-action shoot “if we had the budget and time,” but AI is lovely but not as authentic as live-action or anime because a human did not act or draw it. Kapur remarked that “it assumes a morality from the data available” after his initial excitement with ChatGPT.
AI can democratize filmmaking, removing organizational boundaries and empowering everyone to tell a story.
Conclusion
AI is a topic of debate in the Indian film industry. Some Indian filmmakers downplay AI, while others take it seriously. Shekhar Kapur used ChatGPT for the sequel to Masoom, which gently explored infidelity and social norms. India has the world’s largest film industry, employing 850,000. AI presents economic and ethical concerns as it improves and the internet fills with uncanny deepfake videos. AI is still developing, but some experts believe it can simplify and speed up filmmaking. AI can disrupt organizational hierarchies and empower everyone to tell a story in filmmaking.
