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) technology. 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 The Statesman, the Masoom director while talking about getting Paani on the floor, said that everyone was saying that the film was very expensive.
“So, I am planning to recreate it in AI as it is much faster and also cost-friendly. It is definitely going to hit the floors this time,” said the director, adding that the original star cast may undergo a change depending on the AI model.
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 by 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 Bajpayi along with few other new faces.
On being asked about the role of AI in the film making, Kapur said that it was dominating every essence of film making.
“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 said.