AI is being used in filmmaking, it’s best to embrace it: Siddharth Roy Kapur

siddharthroykapur

Back in 2014, British science fiction film Ex Machina showed what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is and can do. Cut to today, filmmakers are experiencing AI first hand, like producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, founder of Roy Kapur Films (RKF).

"AI is already being used extensively in various areas, like research, pre-production, or to create pitch materials. And I dare say, sometimes even in script analysis," Kapur told Moneycontrol.

He said that instead of trying to fight  AI, it's best to embrace it as something that can make your life easier and richer.

AI adoption

"I am not seeing any immediate impact of it on the labour force in the entertainment industry. Having said that, things change so fast that what's true today might not be so three months from now,'' he said, adding that the use of AI tools can save time, and time is money.

However, he thinks it's still early days when it comes to the adoption of AI in the storytelling process with regard to the shoot or post-production: "That's something that you will increasingly see in the coming months and years.

"AI is definitely going to have an impact on the VFX (visual effects) industry because there are going to be sequences that can be completely created with AI instead of VFX."

He added that foreign film studios may be a step or two ahead, but India is not far behind in using AI.

RKF delivered Shahid Kapoor-starrer Deva this year and is working on its next big project — a big-budget series called Anarchy, including which it has seven projects in the pipeline.

"We've got Matka King, that we've just finished shooting. It  will be on Amazon Prime. We haven't announced a release date for that yet. There's one other series that goes on the floors today. We've got one more film with a platform that will be a straight-to-OTT film. And three films in active casting at this point of time," the producer said.

Box office slowdown

But does the  box office slowdown, especially for Hindi films with only one blockbuster, Chhaava, in 2025, worry him?

"We could have done with a couple of more hits, but what Chhaava tells us is that when you give audiences something that compels them to come to the cinemas, then they come in massive numbers. We've seen this in the last few years with Animal, Stree (2), Jawan, Pathan, and Gadar 2. I'm hoping that the slate the industry has for the next few months of the year are films that draw audiences out in the same way," Roy Kapur explained, and added that the slowdown  is cyclical.

"But the good thing is that the entertainment industry has the streaming sector to be able to take things forward whenever the theatrical business is looking a little weak," he added.

He also thinks that the idea of every story having pan-India appeal may not be working.

"Our writers have had to cater to a pan-Indian instead of a localised audience. Sometimes people try to be all things to all people and  become nothing for no one. So, it's very important to keep your core audience in mind and who you're catering to," Kapur explained.

As for screenwriters, he believes that while more needs to be done, things have improved.

"Things have definitely improved for writers in the last few years. If you pick up an article from 1970 or 1950, you will have people saying exactly the same thing, that writers deserve better. And I agree that they do deserve better. But I think we have to also look at the positives, which is that things have moved forward quite a bit.

``Writers are paid better. They are getting credit in places where maybe they were denied credit earlier. There are more active discussions happening. They've got a good association, the Screenwriters Association, to push for their rights. From when I started off in the film business 20 years ago and today, I see a sea change in the way that writers are treated and the respect they get," the producer said.

He also said that consolidation in the industry was responsible for projects getting shelved and for their slow movement.

"There's been a fair amount of consolidation in the last couple of years. When that happens, organisations tend to dial down the  aggression and avoid making big moves. We are seeing the fallout of that.

``Now that that consolidation has happened and the water has found its level, I think everyone's going to rev up once again. So I'm quite hopeful about the next few years," added.