Exclusive: Shakun Batra on using AI in filmmaking, says 'It’s not about replacing, it's about opening something new'

Why AI caught his attention

Shakun Batra said his interest in AI didn’t come from one big breakthrough moment, and he had tried out early AI tools as well.

“It wasn’t one big moment, but a series of smaller ones,” he recalls. “I’d been trying out early AI visual tools out of curiosity, just playing with tone, light, image prompts and there were moments where the tool responded in ways I didn’t expect. That surprised me. It felt less like a shortcut, and more like a creative dialogue," he adds.

That curiosity led to 'The Getaway Car', his first-ever car chase sequence. Without AI, Shakun Batra says it probably wouldn’t have been possible, especially the way he had envisioned it.

"I’ve never done action before, and the way I’d envisioned the sequence was just not feasible in a traditional production, at least not quickly or within the resources we had. AI allowed us to visualise, block, and build it without months of prep or permits. It gave me the freedom to experiment without fear of failing expensively," said an excited Shakun.

Revolution or just another tool?

We asked Shakun if he is ok labelling AI as a creative revolution tool, to this he said: “It’s definitely the beginning of something but whether it becomes a revolution will depend on how we use it. If we're only using AI to replicate what already exists, then no, it won’t be revolutionary. But if we use it to open doors for new voices, new stories, and new ways of working then yes, it could be transformative.”

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And for Shakun the most impressive part of using AI for filmmaking is the speed with which work can be done.

“You can test a tone, a shot, a visual idea within hours not weeks. That kind of immediacy allows for more risk-taking, more play. You don’t have to second-guess everything because of budget pressure. It lets the instinct lead again," he said.

Keeping the soul of the story

Shakun said for him AI is strictly a tool and not the storyteller and he completely agrees that emotion will come from the filmmaker itself. He resonates what many filmmakers have also said in the past. Recently in an interview with Moneycontrol, even Mahavatar Narasimha director Ashwin Kumar also said 'AI lacks emotion.'

"The emotion still has to come from the filmmaker, from the choices you make, the things you hold back, the beats you linger on. I don't think of AI as the product, I think of it as part of the process," said Shakun.

Shakun said he believes the 'soul' lies in the intention of the filmmaker.

“AI can generate variations but it doesn’t decide what matters. That’s still on the filmmaker. As long as we’re making conscious creative decisions, I don’t think the soul is at risk," he added.

Shakun Batra said he doesn’t see AI becoming a permanent fixture in all his future projects. “Right now, it’s an experiment and I’m treating it as one. Some stories will need it. Some won’t. I’m more interested in keeping the process fluid and choosing the tools that best serve the story not sticking to one way of doing things," he is clear about that.

But Shakun is a happy and content man as the experiment has already pushed him into genres he never thought he’d attempt.

“Sci-fi and full-blown action aren’t spaces I’ve naturally gravitated toward. But with AI, it became possible to test those ideas without the usual constraints. It gave me the freedom to step into unfamiliar territory and just try.”

For Shakun Batra, that permission to explore without pressure is the biggest contribution AI has made to his filmmaking so far.