At Indian weddings, AI is being used to bring back the loved ones who have passed away

Representational image. Courtesy: Unsplash.

Wedding videos have been there, done that. Or rather seen this, shot that. From drone shots sweeping over the Himalayas to romantic — sometimes cringeworthy — montages in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch. Desert safaris, snow-capped trails, underwater proposals—if it’s been raided by Bollywood, it’s probably already featured in someone’s pre-wedding shoot. The edits are slick, the animation often rivals Red Chillies VFX—minus the multi-million dollars budget. The idea is executed. The purpose is served.

But a new wave is quietly taking over the wedding video scene, one that’s less about visual spectacle and more about emotional impact. Couples and their families are now turning to artificial intelligence not just for stylised edits or 3D transitions, but for something far more intimate: bringing back loved ones who have passed away.

AI-generated tributes–where a deceased parent, sibling, or grandparent appears on-screen to bless the couple—are becoming increasingly popular on social media. These aren’t grainy archival clips. They’re carefully crafted digital recreations, complete with movement, speech, and emotion.

In one such video, now widely shared on Instagram, a bride watches a screen as her late brother,who died in an accident, appears from the clouds. He attends all the wedding functions, dances in the mehendi ceremony, gets clicked with the bride and groom, gives a parting message, and then returns to the cloud.

The moment is surreal. The crowd is stunned. The bride is in tears. That video now has more than 25 million views on Instagram.

Behind this viral video is Jack Bhatia, a Kota-based wedding filmmaker and owner of Jack Photography. His AI-powered creations have sparked both praise and pause. “We hadn’t really planned this—we just wanted to do something unique,” Bhatia told Moneycontrol. “That’s when we met Harish uncle. He told us about his son, who had passed away in an accident. That gave us the idea to create a scripted AI video for him.”

Since then, business has boomed. Bhatia says he has received more than 12,000 enquiries—not just from grieving families, but also studio owners and event companies across India and Dubai. “Right now, we’ve completed eight videos, five more are in the works, and 25 more need to be done by May-end,” he adds. “Each video takes 3 to 4 days to make, and our rates start from Rs 15,000 and go up depending on the complexity.”

While several similar videos are floating around on social media from other creators, most declined to comment on the record about their work. Bhatia, too, refused to disclose what tools he uses, only saying that he and his team learned through “online tutorials and YouTube classes.”

Still, Bhatia’s work stands out for one reason: the dead don’t look like cutouts. They move. They emote. They feel eerily alive.

How these videos are made

The creation of these emotionally charged AI wedding videos is part art, part tech and mostly, trial and error. Each project is tailored to the client’s brief, and the pricing varies depending on scripting and complexity. Some are short and simple; others involve full storytelling arcs.

A two-person team handles the production—from compiling photos to rendering the final clip. While the final output typically features the deceased speaking directly to the couple, families often opt to reveal it as a surprise at wedding functions. “The only issue we’re facing right now is finding time to speak with clients,” Bhatia says. “Otherwise, a lot of people are messaging us.”

Surprisingly, there’s no formal consent process. Families simply provide videos and photos of the deceased. As for data retention, he says they delete the pictures once the video is made. However, the final output often remains publicly available on the studio’s social media channels.

The emotional impact

For many families, these videos offer catharsis—a way to symbolically include someone in a life event they couldn’t witness.

One woman, who requested anonymity, said she planned such a video for her husband, whose mother had passed away just months before their wedding. The video was played during their ring ceremony. The groom broke down. “He was moved by the video and couldn’t stop crying,” she recalls. “I just wanted him to feel her presence. In some small way, I wanted to bring her back for him.”

But not everyone is sold on the emotional upside.

Comfort or complication?

While social media reactions to these AI-generated tributes range from awe to tears, mental health professionals advise caution.

“The recreations can disrupt the grieving process. Instead of learning to live with loss, people might stay stuck, watching a fake version of someone they’ve already lost,” says Dr Siddharth Chowdhury, VP of Clinical Operations at Rxmen.

He warns that the emotional weight of such tributes, especially at a life milestone like a wedding, can be difficult to navigate.

“For the bride, groom, or close family, it can shift the whole mood. A wedding becomes more about who’s missing than who’s starting a new life. That’s not healing. That’s heartbreak on loop,” he says.

According to Dr Chowdhury, the very presence of the deceased in digital form,however comforting in the moment, can complicate the journey toward acceptance.

“Keeping the dead ‘too present’ can make it harder to let go. When someone’s always showing up on screen, your mind may not accept that they’re really gone. It soothes, but it also sticks.”

A new normal for AI in weddings?

As demand grows, studios like Jack Photography are at the forefront of what may become a new chapter in Indian wedding videography. While it remains a niche for now, it’s clear that AI is no longer just a tool for stylised edits, it’s reshaping how we grieve, remember, and celebrate.

Whether that’s healing or haunting may just depend on who’s watching.