The announcement of "Chiranjeevi Hanuman – The Eternal," a film slated for a Hanuman Jayanti 2026 release and boldly marketed as "Made-in-AI," has ignited a fiery debate within the film industry. Leading the charge against this unprecedented venture is none other than maverick filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who has unleashed a blistering attack on producer Vijay Subramaniam, accusing him of prioritizing profit over the livelihoods and art of creators.

A Betrayal of Artists

Anurag Kashyap's outrage is deeply personal and professionally pointed. He has directly called out Vijay Subramaniam, who heads the Collective Artists Network, an agency that represents a wide array of actors, writers, and directors. In a strongly-worded public post, Kashyap accused Subramaniam of a fundamental betrayal. "Here is the man heading the Collective Artists Network that represents artists, writers, directors, now producing a film made by AI," he wrote. "So much for looking after and representing the interests of creators. At the end of the day, all these agencies are only interested in making money."

Kashyap's fiery commentary didn't stop there. He went on to urge artists with "a spine" to "leave the agency" and condemned the project as the future for the "spineless and cowardly" in the Hindi film industry. His final words for Subramaniam were chillingly direct: "Shame is not enough; you should be in the gutter." This level of raw emotion underscores the deep-seated fear and anger many creators feel about the growing threat of AI in creative fields.

The Looming Threat to Creativity

Kashyap is not alone in his concerns. Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane also weighed in on the issue, expressing his fears with a simple but poignant question: "And so it begins… Who TF needs writers and directors when it’s ‘Made in AI’?" Motwane's reaction echoes the widespread sentiment that the increasing use of AI in filmmaking threatens to make human talent redundant. The debate is not merely about a single film but about the future of an entire industry and the very definition of creativity itself.

This controversy comes on the heels of another recent public debate when the producers of the film Raanjhanaa re-released the Tamil version with an AI-altered ending, sparking a legal and moral backlash from the original creators. These incidents are pushing the film community to confront a difficult question: where is the line between using technology as a tool and allowing it to replace the artists themselves?

The Defense of 'Tradition and Innovation'

On the other side of the debate, Vijay Subramaniam has defended his project, framing it as a forward-looking and transparent blend of tradition and technology. In a statement, he explained that the film is an opportunity to "reimagine cultural storytelling." He emphasized that his approach is "rooted in authenticity and cultural stewardship, ensuring complete transparency about the role of AI in the creative process."

While Subramaniam sees the film as an innovative experiment that can introduce traditional stories to a new, tech-savvy generation, the backlash from industry stalwarts like Kashyap and Motwane suggests a deep schism. The public and the film industry now face a critical moment of introspection, as the promise of technology clashes with the preservation of human creativity and the livelihoods of countless artists.
Read Also: Farewell to a Legend: Remembering Achyut Potdar, the Man Behind the Iconic "Kehna Kya Chahte Ho?"
Get the latest Bollywood entertainment news, trending celebrity news, latest celebrity news, new movie reviews, latest entertainment news, latest Bollywood news, and Bollywood celebrity fashion & style updates!