Bollywood has found its latest battleground, and it’s not a box-office clash—it’s the rise of AI in cinema. The upcoming Chiranjeevi Hanuman AI film, officially titled The Eternal, has triggered one of the biggest creative debates in recent memory.
On one side, you have stars like Ranveer Singh, who’s openly fascinated by the tech and even showed support for the project.
On the other side, heavyweights like Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane are calling it the end of authentic filmmaking. Kashyap even went nuclear, telling the film’s producers they “should be in the gutter.”
The Divide: Art vs. Algorithms
Supporters argue AI can cut costs, de-age actors, and create visuals beyond human imagination. That’s why Singh’s nod wasn’t shocking—he’s always leaned toward experimenting with the new. For him, an AI Hanuman movie controversy could be the start of cinema’s next revolution.
But critics like Kashyap and Motwane see it differently. For them, AI in Bollywood means fewer jobs for writers, directors, and VFX artists. It’s not just a film—it’s a red flag. Should AI really replace human creativity? That’s the uncomfortable question now sitting in the middle of this storm.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about one movie. Globally, the same fight is happening. Hollywood’s SAG-AFTRA strikes raised alarms about AI stealing actors’ likenesses. Now, India is facing its own version of that debate.
The AI Hanuman film has basically forced Bollywood to pick sides:
- Is AI an evolution of storytelling?
- Or is it the slow death of creativity?
The Future of Filmmaking in India
If films like The Eternal succeed, it could open the gates for more AI-generated Bollywood movies. But if the backlash grows stronger, we might see stricter regulations, or at least an industry-wide pushback.
At the heart of it lies a deeper cultural question: Will audiences accept an AI version of sacred figures like Hanuman? Or will authenticity always win?
So, where do you stand? Should Bollywood embrace AI, or should it slam the brakes before art becomes code?
