Artificial intelligence may change the way films are written, but it cannot address one of the industry's persistent problems — the difficulty women-centric films face in securing producers and theatrical releases, actor Rasika Dugal has said.
Dugal, speaking about the growing use of AI in filmmaking, said she regularly receives scripts featuring interesting female characters at the centre of the narrative, but many of these projects struggle to find financial backing. Even when they are eventually made, she said, securing a release remains difficult.
“Writing might change with the help of AI. However, it is the distribution which becomes a problem. I get a lot of scripts every day which have very interesting characters, women in the centre, but they often don't have producers backing them. Or if they have, if those films have been made, it's difficult for them to get releases,” Dugal told ANI.
AI only a supporting tool
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly prominent in conversations around scriptwriting, visual effects and other aspects of filmmaking, Dugal said she was not in favour of treating the technology as the principal creative force.
“I am not so much in favour of the idea of using AI; I feel that for writing, I feel that AI can be a supporting tool, but not the main thing,” she said.
The actor also pointed to the inherent uncertainty involved in filmmaking, particularly in predicting what audiences will respond to. AI may assist writers and filmmakers during the creative process, but Dugal's remarks underline that technology does little to resolve questions of financing, distribution and theatrical access.
She acknowledged that she does not use AI extensively herself and is still unfamiliar with many aspects of the rapidly evolving technology. “I don't use it so much myself, so I'm not so well versed with it, and it also keeps changing every day. So it's hard to keep up,” she said.
Back as Beena Tripathi
Dugal's comments come as she returns to the role of Beena Tripathi in Mirzapur: The Movie, which was released in theatres on September 4. The film takes the popular streaming franchise to the big screen and brings back several familiar characters, including Kaleen Bhaiya, Munna Bhaiya and Guddu Pandit.
The story once again revolves around the battle for control of Mirzapur, with new contenders entering the conflict and altering the equations between its central characters.
For Dugal, however, the wider debate around AI also highlights a problem that predates the technology — compelling women-led stories may be written, but getting the industry to invest in them and take them to audiences remains the bigger challenge.