<figure id="attachment_3148831" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3148831" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3148831" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/8e67ef45-bollywood-lifestyle-emelpic-020925.webp" alt="bollywood" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3148831" class="wp-caption-text">Indian Bollywood actor Dhanush is reported to be outraged that the ending of the Hindi film ‘Raanjhanaa’ in which he stars, has a new AI-generated finale now. (AFP pic)</figcaption></figure>
MUMBAI: Bollywood, famed for its lavish song-and-dance numbers and vast production crews, now finds itself confronting a new kind of spectacle: artificial intelligence.
From altering iconic endings to generating entire films, AI is shaking up India&#8217;s multibillion-dollar film industry, raising alarm for some, excitement for others.
The debate first erupted when producers re-released the 2013 hit &#8220;Raanjhanaa&#8221; with an AI-modified finale, when the Hindi film was dubbed into India&#8217;s southern language of Tamil.
The new ending changed the tragic death finale into a hopeful one &#8211; with the protagonist&#8217;s eyes seen to flicker open &#8211; triggering outrage from director Aanand L Rai and star Dhanush.
They decried the change as a violation of creative rights.
&#8220;This alternate ending has stripped the film of its very soul,&#8221; Dhanush posted on social media, after the new version was released in August.
&#8220;The concerned parties went ahead with it despite my clear objection,&#8221; Dhanush said, calling the use of AI to alter films &#8220;a deeply concerning precedent for both art and artists&#8221;.
&#8220;It threatens the integrity of storytelling and the legacy of cinema&#8221;, he added.
Director Rai said that while AI is &#8220;definitely the future&#8230; it is not there to change the past&#8221;.
Then, days later, entertainment firm Collective Artists&#8217; Network announced India&#8217;s first fully AI-generated feature film, &#8220;Chiranjeevi Hanuman &#8211; The Eternal&#8221;.
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.
Not all filmmakers were impressed.
&#8220;And so, it begins,&#8221; wrote filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane on social media. &#8220;Who needs writers and directors when it&#8217;s &#8216;Made in AI&#8217;?&#8221;
&#8216;Flesh and blood&#8217;
The industry is bracing for a fight.
On one side are those who see AI as a cost-saving disruptor capable of replacing armies of extras and technicians in Bollywood&#8217;s famously labour-intensive productions.
On the other are defenders of artistry, unpredictability, and human expression.
Some see opportunity in using AI to boost traditional films.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think AI means there can&#8217;t be flesh and blood,&#8221; said director Shakun Batra, who has created a five-part short film series using AI. &#8220;The best future would be when two skill sets merge.&#8221;
But he insists that technology must complement, not override, human creativity.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t encourage AI as a replacement to human endeavour of expression,&#8221; said Batra, known for emotional Bollywood dramas such as &#8220;Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu&#8221;, &#8220;Kapoor &amp; Sons&#8221; and &#8220;Gehraiyaan&#8221;.
Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, director of classics such as &#8220;Masoom&#8221;, &#8220;Mr. India&#8221;, and the 1998 movie &#8220;Elizabeth&#8221; that was nominated for seven Academy Awards, shrugged off the threat.
He said AI could not replace good storytelling.
&#8220;The best stories are unpredictable and AI cannot handle unpredictability,&#8221; he told AFP.
&#8220;AI can&#8217;t, at this moment, create great performances on screen &#8212; because if you look at any big stars of this world, it is their eyes that act, not their face.&#8221;
Kapur said AI would be destructive only for filmmakers who rely on formulaic tropes.
&#8220;If your movies are predictable&#8230; then of course, AI will destroy you,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Perhaps some kid somewhere will be able to do what you are doing.&#8221;
Instead, he said AI, at its best, would open the industry to new ideas.
&#8220;AI is a hugely democratic technology because it gives opportunities to those who would never get it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;How many people in India can afford to go to film schools?&#8221;
&#8216;Level the playing field&#8217;
The emergence of AI would initially hit high-budget films such as superhero movies where you are &#8220;relying on action&#8221;, Kapur said.
Kapur is actively integrating AI into his own work, and even plans to establish an AI-focused film school in Mumbai&#8217;s Dharavi slum.
&#8220;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,&#8221; he said.
But filmmakers also point out that the future of movies lies in the hands of the audience.
&#8220;Raanjhanaa&#8221; director Rai says he was comforted by the support of his fans backing the unchanged version, even 12 years after its original release.
&#8220;The way they reacted to AI is much bigger than the way I reacted,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It is more of their film than mine.&#8221;

MatchPoint Times

Bollywood reels as AI reshapes Indian films

From altering iconic endings to generating entire films, AI is shaking up India’s multi-billion-dollar film industry.

Wildfires break out in Portugal, Spain

UK police arrest around 425 at latest protest for banned Palestine Action