The anticipation surrounding SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi has sparked discussions about the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. The film features star talents such as Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, and a recent teaser has raised questions about whether AI was involved in its creation.
Rajamouli addressed these speculations in a recent interview. He emphasized that the creation of the three-minute teaser involved intense labor from artists over several weeks. Commenting on a user’s assertion that AI technology would allow such footage to be easily generated by the film’s release, producer Shobu Yarlagadda defended the hard work of the team involved. He referred to the idea that it was AI-generated as “trash” and an insult to the artists’ dedication.
Yarlagadda also acknowledged that while AI could become a valuable tool for visual effects (VFX) artists—streamlining some aspects of production and offering faster iterations—confusing it with the intensive manual artistry exemplified in Varanasi is misguided. He noted that AI and human creativity are fundamentally different in their contributions to the filmmaking process.
In his interview with Polygon, Rajamouli elaborated on the painstaking efforts of his team, revealing that work on the teaser began in October. The artists worked around the clock to create each frame, which took approximately 20 hours to render. He asserted that attributing their hard work to AI would undermine their artistic genius.
Varanasi features Mahesh Babu in the lead role as Rudhra, alongside Priyanka Chopra as Mandakini and Prithviraj Sukumaran as Kumbha. The film is set to hit theaters on April 7, 2027, marking a significant event for fans of the genre and the crew involved.