Rana Daggubati says AI in cinema lets filmmakers watch movies before shooting even begins

AI in Cinema Transforms How Films Are Made

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how movies come to life, and Rana Daggubati made this clear during his address at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Speaking at a session on AI and creativity on February 16, the actor behind blockbusters like 'Baahubali' and 'Kalki 2898 AD' explained that AI in cinema now allows creators to visualize their entire film before shooting a single frame 1

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. What once existed only in imagination or rough storyboards can now be rendered in striking detail—scenes blocked, worlds built, action choreographed—long before production begins. This shift compresses uncertainty and sharpens creative decisions for large-scale filmmaking.

VFX Production Time Drops From Days to Hours

The numbers tell a compelling story about AI's impact on cinema. Rana Daggubati revealed that in the visual effects world, tasks that previously took 3-5 days to complete now require just 2-3 hours 1

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. This dramatic reduction in VFX production time is reshaping the cinema industry by making high-quality effects accessible faster and more affordably. The technology excels particularly in pre-production and pre-visualisation, giving filmmakers a near-finished window into their own vision before cameras roll. Ashish Kulkarni, founder of Punnaryug Artvision, emphasized that AI tools are providing great perspective in these early stages of filmmaking 1

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AI Will Replace Humans, But Not All Skills

In a blunt informal interaction with media at Bharat Mandapam, Daggubati stated that AI will replace all of us quite quickly when asked about the growing influence on movies 2

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. However, during his formal session, he drew important distinctions about which human skills remain irreplaceable. Storytelling, understanding of cultural context, and social literacy are capabilities that AI cannot substitute, he emphasized 1

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. The actor compared the current AI wave to the initial resistance to VFX two decades ago, when traditionalists feared it would undermine filmmaking. Instead, VFX became integral to mainstream storytelling 2

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Intellectual Property Creation Gets Democratized

Rana Daggubati identified a crucial divide emerging in the industry—not between those who adopt AI and those who resist it, but between those who build intellectual property on top of AI tools and those who merely use them 1

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. This shift democratizes intellectual property creation in profound ways. "Ownership will change dramatically. Earlier, big studios were the only ones to develop big IP, universe. Today it is in the hands of independent directors," he explained 1

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. The construct of repeatability is gone, making IP creation a key differentiating factor for filmmakers navigating this transformation.

AI Impact Summit Brings Global Leaders Together

The AI Impact Summit, running from February 16-20 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, has attracted major technology players including Google, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Qualcomm 2

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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the event, highlighting India's ambition to lead in the global AI ecosystem with a focus on human-centric AI development centered on People, Planet, and Progress 2

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. The summit expects over 2.5 lakh visitors, including international delegates, and aims to foster partnerships within the global AI ecosystem 1

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. During the session moderated by executives from MakeMyTrip and others, an MoU was exchanged between Adobe and Nasscomm for the Future Skills Prime initiative 1

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. As AI continues rewriting the grammar of cinema, the industry faces a phase of extreme change where certain pieces of the puzzle are being taken away, but the core of filmmaking—the human touch—remains essential.