By Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, Nov 9 (UNI) More than a decade after it was shelved, director Shekhar Kapur is set to revive his ambitious film Paani, this time with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The project, which once had the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput on its board, was originally shelved after producer Yash Raj Films withdrew from the project.
Speaking with United News of India (UNI), the Masoom director discussed plans to bring Paani to life, noting that many had called the project too expensive. “I’m planning to recreate it using AI, as it’s much faster and more cost-effective. It’s definitely going to hit the floors this time,” the director said, adding that the original cast might change depending on the AI model used.
The director also spoke about his upcoming project, Masoom 2, a sequel to his 1983 cult classic Masoom featuring Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi. Stating that it took him two years to finalise the script, Kapur said that the film’s shooting is expected to begin in December this year or in January next year.
Talking about the star cast for Masoom 2, Kapur said that while Shah and Azmi will be part of the sequel, it will also feature actor Manoj Bajpayee, along with a few other new faces.
On being asked about the role of AI in filmmaking, Kapur said that it was dominating every aspect of filmmaking. “It is not taking the emotion away from storytelling. If you are telling a predictable story, then AI would be able to do it better and faster than you. But the best stories are unpredictable. The best characters are unpredictable.”
“That AI can’t do. AI can only deal with the predictable. AI will write a story for you in two minutes. But the essence of creativity is the unpredictability of storytelling, of whatever you do. That AI can’t do,” he added.
