Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has sparked fresh debate on artificial intelligence in cinema after sharing an AI-generated video showing actors Mahesh Babu and S. S. Rajamouli in a staged physical altercation inside a café. The clip, posted on Instagram with the caption “Cinema is dead,” quickly went viral, drawing both humour and concern from users.
The video surfaced while the actor-director duo are working on the much-anticipated film, Varanasi, which is considered to be the next big project from Tollywood that would create a global reception.
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Meanwhile, users in the comment section didn’t hesitate to milk some humour out of it. A user commented, “When MB doesn’t give more expressions in Varanasi shoots.”
The tweet also led to users being divided on the issue of AI in filmmaking, with one side arguing that talented filmmakers will continue to work, while others claimed the impact will be across the board.
Celebrities flag growing misuse of AI
The video has also led to another concern about deepfake content targeting film personalities. Over the years, many celebrities have voiced their concern about the growing deepfake content.
Actress Ayesha Khan recently spoke about the issue in an interview with Pinkvilla, revealing that morphed AI-generated visuals of her had circulated online.
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She described the experience as disturbing and emotionally difficult, recalling how her mother once encountered a fabricated video featuring her.
“The AI thing that has started is very scary. You have made a whole app to sexualise women on the internet… I can’t humanly process this information that this is happening There was a picture of me and Vijay sir… it was turned into an AI video where we are hugging each other. I had to tell her that this has never happened before,” she said.
Deepfake incidents raise industry concerns
Concerns over AI misuse intensified after a viral deepfake video of Rashmika Mandanna in 2023 triggered widespread debate on digital consent and online safety.
Actors including Keerthy Suresh have also spoken about the need for responsible use of AI tools, as the technology rapidly evolves.
With increasingly realistic AI-generated visuals emerging across social media, the film industry continues to grapple with the balance between technological innovation and protection of celebrity identity.
Earlier, several celebrities including actors Amitabh Bachchan, Kajol, self-proclaimed godmen Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and cricketer Sunil Gavaskar moved Indian judiciary and sought personality and publicity rights that protects their images from misuse.
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