AI is becoming bigger day by day and our entertainment industry is already taking a keen interest in it. One man who has taken it up very seriously is Shakun Batra of Kapoor & Sons (2016) fame. With Jouska AI, an offshoot of his advertising firm, he is coming up with content that looks real and classy. In an interview with Man’s World, he explained the advantages of using AI and the way forward.
Shakun Batra revealed, “In December 2024, I was shooting a commercial where I needed a shot of a highway. Obviously, you can’t shoot on a highway, so I built a toll booth in a studio with a green screen, 20 cars, and people. While working, I tried generating the shot with AI on the side, and the client bought the AI shot instead. I had spent around Rs. 20-25 lakhs building that set, and the AI version cost me very little.”
He also said, “In March 2025, Google Veo3 came out. I was just playing with the tool, without a plan. In about 8-10 weeks, I made a full-blown car chase that would have cost me over a million dollars to shoot. I would have needed to travel, scout locations, and hire stunt teams. I realized this was incredible.”
He continued, “Now that we’ve mastered the basics, making ads and smaller projects in AI, we’re moving toward bigger goals, making feature films that were previously impossible in our country due to budget constraints.”
Shakun listed why AI can prove to be an advantage in a quick turnaround, “One of the hardest parts of filmmaking isn’t budget, it’s actor availability. Top actors are booked for years…If a big idea requires a star who isn’t available for two years, I won’t wait. I’ll make the film using AI. We’re building a hybrid model, keeping traditional filmmaking where possible, but using AI for expensive or logistically difficult parts like big visual or stunt sequences.”
There’s a fear that AI will take away jobs. On this, Shakun explained, “When I make a shot in AI, I know it replaces lighting technicians, gaffers, grips, or stunt teams. There’s excitement, but also anxiety. Still, many are ignoring the issue instead of preparing.”
He continued, “There will still be hybrid models, 50 per cent traditional shooting and 50 per cent AI, but some filmmakers will be able to create entire films from home without setting foot on set.”
Shakun Batra suggested, “Studios should have guardrails, speaking parts should use actors, music should have composers, and writers should always be involved. Ideally, if a film has a Rs. 100-crore budget, at least 20 per cent should be spent on traditional production. Producers need to collaborate on such rules and direct money toward upskilling talent. Right now, many are only thinking about cost-cutting, not sustainability for others. That attitude will be difficult in the long run.”
Shakun also said that the other downside would be too many people making stuff that is sub-par. He said, “There will also be ‘content pollution’. The volume of content will explode, lowering its overall value. Execution will become easy, but storytelling will remain hard, and that’s where the real skill will still lie.”
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