AI vs Human Creativity – Chiranjeevi Hanuman sparks a fiery cinema debate, covered by PuneriPages.in.
By Prashant for PuneriPages.in
Mumbai, 18 August 2025 — Leave it to Anurag Kashyap to say what many in the industry are only whispering. The filmmaker went absolutely ballistic after hearing about Chiranjeevi Hanuman, India’s so-called “first AI-generated feature film.” And trust me, he didn’t sugarcoat a single word.
His reaction? Brutal. On social media, Kashyap declared that the film’s producers “should be in the gutter” and called the project nothing more than plagiarism, theft, and sheer laziness.
That one post has exploded into a firestorm, dragging the entire AI-in-filmmaking debate right into the center of Indian cinema.
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“This Is Not Art. It’s Theft.”
If you’ve followed Kashyap over the years, you know he never holds back — and this time, he was raging.
“You should be in the gutter. This is not art, it is theft. It is laziness dressed up as creativity. You are stealing our stories, our culture, and our people,” he wrote.
For him, art comes from struggle, effort, and intention — not from clicking a button and letting MidJourney or RunwayML spit out frames. And honestly, I get why he’s mad. If every cultural story can just be repackaged by AI without the sweat and emotion of human creators, then where’s the soul of cinema?
Anurag Kashyap on AI Film Chiranjeevi Hanuman — Why He’s Furious
So what exactly is Chiranjeevi Hanuman?
The producers are hyping it up as India’s first full-length AI-generated feature film. Built using MidJourney for visuals and RunwayML for motion, the film apparently has a script written by humans, but almost every frame is AI-made.
And here’s the kicker — it’s based on the mythology of Hanuman. One of the most sacred, deeply respected figures in Indian culture. For a lot of people, that crosses a line.
It’s one thing to use AI for a sci-fi concept. But to let machines retell something as powerful as Hanuman’s story? That’s bound to hit nerves.
Why Kashyap Calls AI Cinema “Theft”
This isn’t just about one movie. Kashyap is voicing what many creators secretly fear:
- Creativity is human. Lived experience, pain, joy, observation — that’s what fuels art. AI has none of that.
- Ethics are messy. These AI models are trained on billions of artworks, films, and scripts, often scraped without permission. That’s not innovation, that’s appropriation.
- Cultural respect. Mythology isn’t just “content.” Turning Hanuman into an AI experiment feels, to some, like trivializing something sacred.
And you can tell — Kashyap’s anger isn’t just professional, it’s personal.
Why Kashyap Calls AI Cinema “Theft”
Now, before we jump on the “AI is evil” bandwagon, it’s worth noting why some people are excited about projects like Chiranjeevi Hanuman.
- Accessibility. Not every creator has ₹100 crore to make a film. AI lowers the barrier, making it possible for smaller voices to experiment.
- It’s just a tool. Supporters say AI is no different than when CGI first entered cinema. Back then, people screamed it would “ruin movies” — and now it’s everywhere.
- New frontiers. Let’s be honest, AI can create visuals we’ve never seen before. If guided well, it could open up a whole new style of storytelling.
The producers are already defending themselves, calling it “an experiment, not a replacement.” But whether people buy that excuse… well, time will tell.
Can AI Truly Replace Human Creativity in Filmmaking?
Remember the Hollywood strikes of 2023–24? Writers and actors literally shut the industry down demanding protection against AI. That battle was ugly, and it looks like India’s about to have its own version.
The Kashyap vs. Chiranjeevi Hanuman showdown is more than just Twitter drama. It’s the start of a cultural tug-of-war: Do we want art made by people, or art made by algorithms?
What This Debate Means for the Future of Indian Cinema
Honestly? I side with Kashyap here. I get the whole “AI is a tool” argument, but when it comes to mythology and stories that define who we are, I’d rather see a flawed, human-made film than a polished, soulless AI one.
Cinema, at its heart, is human. The moment we let machines take that away, we lose something we might never get back.
👉 What do you think? Should AI be allowed to make films about Indian mythology, or is Kashyap right that this is theft disguised as art?
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