When a video depicting actor Mohanlal as Marthanda Varma surfaced on YouTube recently, many assumed it to be the real deal — an epic production in the offing.
After all, the visuals are dramatic, and Lalettan aces the look as the legendary Travancore monarch. Only that the ‘project’ is not backed by any big production house. It was created using free AI tools by
Abhijith A Nair, founder of Magsman Studios based in Bengaluru.
Abhijith is not new to the film industry. A set designer by profession, he has worked on films such as ‘Kantara — Chapter 1’ and ‘Lokah’. He is an aspiring scriptwriter as well. And the AI-generated Marthanda Varma ‘teaser’ was an “informal visualisation” of one of his story ideas.
“I had penned a script for a film on Marthanda Varma. I felt it could be better communicated through a video than plain narration,” says Abhijith, who hails from Aroor.
The video has been created with a visual narrative that recreates the Battle of Colachel along a rain-soaked coastline, with Marthanda Varma (AI avatar of Mohanlal) and his men vanquishing the Dutch army.
“I created this video to gauge the audience’s response. It has been great. Several people from the industry also gave a thumbs-up,” says Abhijith.
“The response has prompted me to create a longer, more detailed video of 10 minutes. It will have a narration of the entire storyline. I hope Lalettan sees it some day.”
Abhijith clarifies that he does not view AI as a replacement for traditional filmmaking techniques. “But it certainly can be an assisting tool,” he says.
“Filmmakers often struggle to communicate visual ideas to producers. AI-generated visuals allow creators to present the mood, framing and tone before a single scene is shot. You can clearly show what you have in mind at a minimal cost.”
Notably, Abhijith had created a pre-visualisation video for the opening sequence of Lokah. The video became the base for the set’s design, which was handled by art director Jithu Sebastian and production designer Vinesh Banglan, with whom Abhijith collaborated while working on ‘Kantara’ and ‘Lucky Bhasker’.
Abhijith has also created AI teaser references and conceptual material for upcoming projects involving Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth.
Though excited about AI’s potential, he notes that there are limitations to how much one can rely on it. “What we get is what the AI understands,” he says. “It might not exactly match the specifics that we have in mind, like framing or colour. We won’t always get that exact detail.”
He explains that results depend on how clearly a creator can visualise a shot and describe the idea as a prompt to the AI. “If the idea is vague, the output will be generic. If the creator has a strong image in mind, the prompts have to be precise,” he adds.
Music selection also plays a key role. “There is a rhythm to the visuals we create. The music has to suit that. If the music doesn’t work, the visuals also won’t work,” he says.
For his Marthanda Varma video, Abhijith chose a moody piece inspired by composers like Ludwig Göransson. So he used a cover version of the original sound track of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film
‘The Odyssey’.
Abhijith reveals that learning the AI game took just about a week, thanks to his design background. More surprisingly, he used free software for the project, relying on Google’s Nano Banana and other open tools. No paid subscriptions. No team. Yet, so realistic.
This perhaps gives a clue to how AI can revolutionise filmmaking at a pace faster than we think.
Abhijith, however, does not believe AI will replace actors or full-fledged production anytime soon. “Yes, with AI, we can get visually pleasing or striking results. But to tell a story, just visuals are not enough — there has to be emotion. This is something AI cannot recreate,” he says.
“AI cannot deliver the minute performances of seasoned actors as of now. But this lack of depth, however, will be negated with advances in motion tracking and expression generation.”
Interestingly, many Bollywood actors are now ‘safeguarding’ their ‘personality rights’ — something that’s already become a norm in Hollywood. A couple of days ago, Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey trademarked his image and voice to prevent “unauthorised use by AI”.
Abhijith anticipates such legal and ethical tangles in Kerala, too. “I don’t think actors will allow their images or voice to be used freely. There will come a point where they will get their identities copyrighted.”
Notably, AI-generated videos recreating Malayalam film stars have been flooding social media feeds. Some imagine alternative endings to films, explore fan theories and create parallel universes.
A few even resurrect legendary actors who had passed away, placing them back on screen, kindling sweet nostalgia. One recent video showed a warm reunion in heaven, featuring actors such as Thilakan, Innocent, Sreenivasan, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, KPAC Lalitha, and Kalpana.
Countless such experimental content on social media point to, as Abhijith puts it, “a new world of possibilities”.