{"id":106971,"date":"2025-09-01T13:39:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T13:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/106971\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T13:39:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T13:39:07","slug":"bollywood-reels-as-ai-rewrites-endings-and-reimagines-epics-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/106971\/","title":{"rendered":"Bollywood reels as AI rewrites endings and reimagines epics – Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s 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\u2019s southern language of Tamil.<\/p>\n

The new ending changed the tragic death finale into a hopeful one \u2014 with the protagonist\u2019s eyes seen to flicker open \u2014 triggering outrage from director Aanand L. Rai and star Dhanush.<\/p>\n

They decried the change as a violation of creative rights. \u201cThis alternate ending has stripped the film of its very soul,\u201d Dhanush posted on social media, after the new version was released in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concerned parties went ahead with it despite my clear objection,\u201d Dhanush said, calling the use of AI to alter films \u201ca deeply concerning precedent for both art and artists\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt threatens the integrity of storytelling and the legacy of cinema\u201d, he added. Director Rai said that while AI is \u201cdefinitely the future\u2026 it is not there to change the past\u201d.<\/p>\n

Then, days later, entertainment firm Collective Artists\u2019 Network announced India\u2019s first fully AI-generated feature film, Chiranjeevi Hanuman \u2014 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. \u201cAnd so, it begins,\u201d wrote filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane on social media. \u201cWho needs writers and directors when it\u2019s \u2018Made in AI\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Flesh and blood\u2019<\/p>\n

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\u2019s famously labour-intensive productions.<\/p>\n

On the other hand are defenders of artistry, unpredictability, and human expression. Some see opportunity in using AI to boost traditional films. \u201cI don\u2019t think AI means there can\u2019t be flesh and blood,\u201d said director Shakun Batra, who has created a five-part short film series using AI. \u201cThe best future would be when two skill sets merge.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he insists that technology must complement, not override, human creativity. \u201cI don\u2019t encourage AI as a replacement to human endeavour of expression,\u201d 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. \u201cThe best stories are unpredictable and AI cannot handle unpredictability,\u201d he told AFP. \u201cAI can\u2019t, at this moment, create great performances on screen \u2014 because if you look at any big stars of this world, it is their eyes that act, not their face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kapur said AI would be destructive only for filmmakers who rely on formulaic tropes. \u201cIf your movies are predictable\u2026 then of course, AI will destroy you,\u201d he added. \u201cPerhaps some kid somewhere will be able to do what you are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, he said AI, at its best, would open the industry to new ideas. \u201cAI is a hugely democratic technology because it gives opportunities to those who would never get it,\u201d he said. \u201cHow many people in India can afford to go to film schools?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Level the playing field\u2019<\/p>\n

The emergence of AI would initially hit high-budget films such as superhero movies, where you are \u201crelying on action\u201d, Kapur said. Kapur is actively integrating AI into his own work, and even plans to establish an AI-focused film school in Mumbai\u2019s Dharavi slum.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI 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,\u201d 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. \u201cThe way they reacted to AI is much bigger than the way I reacted,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is more of their film than mine.\u201d<\/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":2,"featured_media":106972,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[554,733,4308,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-106971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}