Ram Madhvani Says AI Will Liberate Cinema, Not Limit It

Emmy-nominated and National Award–winning filmmaker Ram Madhvani is embracing the future—quite literally. Fresh off creating a five-minute VR film inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, he’s now imagining a world where Krishna turns around on the battlefield of Kurukshetra only to find an AI being tapping him on the shoulder. “Six months ago we did a short five-minute film on virtual reality… now no one talks about VR, so we have done it on AI, and it’s on the Bhagwat Gita. I was thinking what if on Kurukshetra battlefield Krishna is tapped on his shoulder and he turns around and there is an AI sentient being…” Madhvani shared, blending mythology, technology, and a splash of cosmic curiosity.

To him, resisting AI isn’t just old-fashioned—it’s practically discriminatory. “Today I think if you're not using AI or if you look down on AI, they now call you a specist… we are all currently, hopefully, not speciesists… The root word of technology comes from the Greek word Techne, which means art.” For Madhvani, every major leap in cinema—from sound to color to fast lenses—has been driven by tech, and AI is simply the next tool that will “liberate us… So we're here to embrace that.”

But what happens when AI starts directing? Or winning awards? Madhvani has thought about that too. “Who would go up to receive the National Award? That sentient being, at some point, I suppose, would go up but for the moment, hopefully, the filmmaker.” It’s a humorous yet insightful way of acknowledging the creative tug-of-war ahead.

Beyond his musings on the future, Madhvani’s present résumé remains formidable. His National Award-winning feature Neerja, starring Sonam Kapoor and Shabana Azmi, cemented his place in modern Indian cinema. With his partner Amita through Ram Madhvani Films, he delivered the International Emmy-nominated series Aarya, led by Sushmita Sen, followed by its successful second and third seasons. His thriller Dhamaka, starring Kartik Aaryan and Mrunal Thakur, premiered globally on Netflix and even landed on The New York Times list of five action films to stream in 2021.

Madhvani’s reflections serve as a reminder: innovation doesn’t have to erase tradition. Instead, he suggests, cinema’s future lies in weaving technological advancement with cultural depth, ethical nuance, and a whole lot of imagination.