AI-made film set to debut in Bollywood

The film “Maharaja in Denims”, created entirely using artificial intelligence, is expected to become the first production of its kind released by Bollywood studios by the end of the summer, AFP reports.

Unlike its more regulated American counterpart, India’s highly prolific film industry — producing over 2,000 films annually — has embraced AI without hesitation, with several feature film projects underway, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Two of them, Chiranjeevi Hanuman: The Eternal and Love You, had long led the race but have not yet reached theatrical release. As a result, Maharaja in Denims is set to become the first in this new category, barring any surprises.

Adapted from the bestselling novel by Khushwant Singh, published in 2014, the film is produced by Intelliflicks, co-founded in Chandigarh in 2023 by the author and Gurdeep Singh Pall, a former vice president at Microsoft.

“Gurdeep wanted to prove that it is possible to make a feature film using AI tools,” Singh said. “He wanted to try it with my book — that’s how Intelliflicks was born.”

The story follows a privileged teenager from Chandigarh who believes he is the reincarnation of Ranjit Singh, as well as a victim of the anti-Sikh violence of 1984 following the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Traditionally, such epic productions require large budgets, but AI has reduced costs to about one-tenth.

“Some filmmakers estimated the cost at over 500 million rupees (€4.65 million) in a traditional format. We should complete it with around 40–50 million rupees,” Singh said.

“With no actor fees, no delayed shoots, no issues with sets — everything is based on the creativity of the human mind and the machine,” he added.

The only exception to AI dominance is the film’s music, composed and performed by humans. The main song is performed by Sukhwinder Singh, known for his work on Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle.

In India, “people watch music as much as they listen to it,” Singh explained.

Despite technological advantages, production was not easy. The small team of six faced challenges, especially because current AI tools are not well-trained to reproduce Indian facial features.

“It would have been much easier to make a Western,” the director admitted. “If we had anticipated these difficulties, we might have chosen a different story.”

Rapid technological progress also forced frequent editing changes.

“Technology evolves constantly,” Khushwant Singh said. “You are always tempted to use the latest innovation because what you created before no longer seems as appealing.”

Originally planned for completion in late 2025, the film is now expected to be released in August or September.

“I believe we can now say with certainty that we have mastered the technique of making a film with artificial intelligence,” Singh said proudly.

He added that such projects could revolutionize and democratize the global film industry.

“Given the speed of technological progress, an 18-year-old in a village could soon compete with major studios,” he said. “Competition will come from everywhere.”