The filmmaker clarified that his forthcoming film does not involve the veteran actor and these were baseless reports.
Published Jan 29, 2024 | 1:19 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 29, 2024 | 1:22 PM
Director B Unnikrishnan with Mammootty. (X)
Malayalam director B Unnikrishnan has refuted the reports of Mammootty playing a young man in his 30s in an upcoming movie.
It was reported that Mammootty will be portrayed as a young man in his 30s with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This meant that there was no need for the physical presence of the actor on the location.
However, B Unnikrishnan told the Fourth News (YouTube news channel) that there are no plans to de-age Mammootty’s character.
He also clarified that his forthcoming film does not involve the veteran actor and an official announcement will be made soon.
The filmmaker added that all these reports were baseless.
Further, Unnikrishnan clarified that at the college programme, he was only speaking about the possibility of AI. He said he meant to say that the AI technology had been adopted by the Tamil industry and can also be tried in Malayalam films.
At the convocation of Neo Film School in Kochi, director Unnikrishnan said he got approval from Mammootty for the use of his AI-generated versions for the project.
This became a hot topic on social media and led to talks about the use of AI technology in cinema. However, this seems to be a misunderstanding.
Hollywood and other film industries are embracing AI for their ventures. In Hollywood, it is mandatory to obtain performers’ consent for creating AI-generated digital replicas, even posthumously.