It's no secret that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in filmmaking has been on for the last two years. Many suspect that AI was used in the first teaser of Chiranjeevi's Vishwambhara. AI was rumouredly used for some shots in Teja Sajja's Mirai. And AI is suspected to have aided the upcoming movie, Nagabandham.
On Sunday, actor Nikhil Siddhartha wrote a social media post that many perceive as a dig at other high-budget Indian films. He awaits the release of Swayambhu this Summer. While sharing the new teaser for his period epic, Nikhil explicitly stated that his period action drama film did not use AI-generated visuals.
Social media users interpreted his clarification as a "shade" or a direct attack on other pan-Indian movies that had faced backlash for their "plastic" or "unrealistic" AI-enhanced graphics.
Swayambhu's teaser looked heavily unoriginal. Nikhil's latest pitch comes across as an effort at creating a discussion around sincere efforts in the age of AI. Filmmakers have spent years projecting their products as passion projects on which they "invest" their lives. In the age of streaming and incessant influx of event movies, sentimental language doesn't suffice. Swayambhu must look appealing, not just entirely human-made.
