India's first upcoming AI film gets global attention at Cannes
Clips from Maharaja in Denims, poised to be India's first full-length AI-generated feature film, have emerged as a striking proof of concept for the future of cinema at the ongoing Festival de Cannes.
Based on Chandigarh-based author Khushwant Singh's novel of the same name, the movie has been generating buzz after Tony DeRosa-Grund, creator of The Conjuring universe, signed a five-movie slate with the tech start-up producing the film and announced the collaboration at the festival.
The novel narrates the story of a privileged Chandigarh teenager who believes he is the reincarnation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and a 1984 anti-Sikh riot victim. With its layered timelines and historical scale, the film would traditionally require a massive budget — yet it is now being produced through AI at one-tenth the cost.
This pioneering foray into Hollywood places India at the forefront of storytelling through technological innovation. Earlier this May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's first World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit in Mumbai, aimed at positioning India as a leading global player in entertainment technology.
Maharaja in Denims is being produced by Intelliflicks Studio, a Chandigarh-based company currently in the production stage of the film, which is expected to release in August-September. The studio was founded in 2023 following a chance conversation between author Khushwant Singh and Gurdeep Singh Pall, the former vice-president of incubations at Microsoft.
'Gurdeep wanted to test the viability of producing a full feature film using AI tools based on my novel, and that's how we set up Intelliflicks,' said Khushwant, who is also co-founder of the studio along with Gurdeep.
'AI is no longer a conceptual future—it's a present force that enables films to be made that studios once deemed impossible due to cost or scale,' Gurdeep said.
'I'm thrilled to see this journey unfold,' said DeRosa-Grund. 'The concept of proof laid out through the clips of Maharaja in Denims has passed the litmus test in filmmaking. However, given the role of technology, our approach will not be to replace artists through AI — but to unleash them. This new medium isn't a prediction of what's coming. It's a production of what's now.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
Who is Madhavi Latha, IISc professor who spent 17 years helping build J&K's Chenab Bridge?
The Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, has been inaugurated. G Madhavi Latha, a professor at Bengaluru's Indian Institute of Science, worked on the project as a geotechnical consultant for 17 years. The construction was beset with challenges, but she and her team adopted 'design-as-you-go' approach for the engineering marvel read more The Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The world's highest railway arch bridge, unveiled on Friday (June 6), is an engineering marvel. It is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project (USBRL), which will provide all-weather rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India. The Chenab Bridge stands high at 359 metres (1,178 feet) above the Chenab riverbed, 35 metres taller than the Paris' Eiffel Tower. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The construction of the bridge was a major challenge due to the region's harsh terrain. An expert in rock engineering gave her 17 years to help build the 1,315 metres long bridge. But who is she? We will take a look. Madhavi Latha's role in building Chenab Bridge G Madhavi Latha, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Bengaluru's Indian Institute of Science (IISc), spent 17 years on the Chenab Bridge project as a geotechnical consultant. A specialist in rock engineering, she was roped in by the Northern Railways and the Chenab bridge project contractor Afcons to advise them on slope stabilisation and bridge foundation. This was to ensure the bridge could withstand very harsh natural conditions, including wind speeds of more than 220 kmph. With a lifespan of 120 years, the Chenab bridge can resist high-velocity winds with speeds up to 260 kmph, extreme temperatures, earthquakes, and hydrological impacts if water levels rise. The Chenab bridge's design and construction have been done by a joint venture comprising Afcons Infrastructure, South Korea-based Ultra Construction & Engineering Company, and VSL India. Speaking to Deccan Herald (DH), Latha said, 'IISc was the consultant for slope stabilisation and foundation, whereas foreign firms were involved in making the steel arch. Planning of the bridge started in 2005, and it was completed in 2022 when trial runs with full-speed trains were carried out.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This unsupported steel arch has a length of about half a kilometre. It rests on the left and right abutments, along with eight piers, on the slopes. During the construction, Professor Latha's team adopted a 'design-as-you-go" approach, meaning they had to adapt in real-time depending on geological conditions such as fractured rocks, hidden cavities, and different rock properties, not evident in early surveys. Last month, the article, Design as You Go: The Case Study of Chenab Railway Bridge, published in the Women's Special issue of the Indian Geotechnical Journal by Dr Latha laid out the challenges that they faced while constructing the bridge over the past 17 years. 'The construction of a civil engineering marvel like the Chenab bridge posed many challenges from planning to completion. A rigid design with fixed dimensions and pre-determined solutions would not have been feasible, considering the continuously evolving geological and geotechnical conditions,' she noted in the article. 'The design-as-you-go approach adopted in this project made the construction of the bridge possible despite the critical challenges encountered in every stage during the 17 years of its construction period,' the professor added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Due to high rock discontinuities and steep slopes, a major challenge was to construct the Chenab bridge 's arch abutments and foundations for piers on the slopes. The solution found by Latha and other project engineers was to use the technique of cement grouting with pieces of rock and steel rods for reinforcement, reported DH. Who is Madhavi Latha? Professor Madhavi Latha completed her PhD in geotechnical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. She was teaching at IIT Guwahati before she joined the IISc in 2004. Dr Latha, who was the first female faculty member at IISc at the time, had to fight to get a toilet for women. 'Back then, there were no exclusive toilets for women in the department. There were only men's toilets. I had to really fight to get a women's toilet in the geotechnical engineering building,' IISc says on its website, quoting the professor. Soon after PM Modi inaugurated the Chenab bridge, IISc took to X to laud her, 'We are proud of Prof Madhavi Latha & her team's contribution to the #ChenabBridge inaugurated by Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi. The team worked on stability of slopes, design & construction of foundations, design of slope stabilisation systems, incl. rock anchors to withstand hazards.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD BJP MP Tejasvi Surya also hailed Latha for her contributions to building the Chenab bridge. Congratulating the civil engineer, he wrote, 'Your role in this engineering marvel inspires young minds, especially women in STEM, to lead in nation-building.' Congratulations to Prof. Madhavi Latha of @iiscbangalore for your remarkable contribution to the #ChenabBridge — the world's highest railway arch bridge, inaugurated today by PM Shri @NarendraModi. Your role in this engineering marvel inspires young minds, especially women in… — Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) June 6, 2025 Latha is currently the Chair of the Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST). She has won laurels over the years. In 2021, Latha bagged the Best Woman Geotechnical Researcher award by the Indian Geotechnical Society. She also made it to the Top 75 Women in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) of India in 2022. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Putin's 'Secret' Daughter Working At Anti-War Art Gallery In Paris, Claims Russian Artist
Last Updated: Elizaveta Krivonogikh appeared in an interview with GQ Russia where she dodged questions about her resemblance to Putin. Elizaveta Krivonogikh, believed to be the 'secret' daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is reportedly working under a new identity at two Parisian art galleries known for showcasing anti-war Russian and Ukrainian art, as per Russian artist and writer Nastya Rodionova. Nastya Rodionova, who fled Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was granted asylum in France in 2022, made the claims in a Facebook post in which she wrote that she had heard rumors that Elizaveta Krivonogikh, now going by the name 'Elizaveta Rudnova," was working as a gallery manager at Studio Albatros and L Galerie, both operated by the Paris-based L Association. These galleries are known for hosting exhibitions critical of Russia's war in Ukraine. The artist said the rumor was confirmed by a fellow artist who recognized the gallery manager and matched her description to Elizaveta Krivonogikh. Nastya Rodionova later confronted L Association president Dmitri Dolinski about the woman's identity. Dmitri Dolinski reportedly told her he does not inquire about his staff's family backgrounds and emphasized that 'children are not responsible for their parents," but confirmed the manager's last name was 'Rudnova." Investigative outlet Agentstvo reported last year that 'Elizaveta Olegovna Rudnova" was enrolled in a cultural management program at Paris's ICART university. Travel records obtained by Agentstvo show Nastya Rudnova shares the same birthdate as Elizaveta Krivonogikh. The outlet also noted that the name 'Rudnova" may be a reference to Oleg Rudnov, a late Putin associate whose name has appeared in real estate transactions linked to Krivonogikh's mother, Svetlana Krivonogikh. Proekt, the Russian investigative media outlet banned by the Kremlin, first identified Elizaveta Krivonogikh in 2020, describing her as the daughter of Svetlana Krivonogikh- a millionaire allegedly linked romantically to Vladimir Putin. The outlet cited physical resemblance and circumstantial evidence to claim that Elizaveta Krivonogikh is Vladimir Putin's biological daughter, a claim the Kremlin dismissed as 'unfounded." Elizaveta Krivonogikh later appeared in a veiled interview with GQ Russia under the pseudonym 'Luiza Rozova," where she dodged questions about her resemblance to Putin, saying 'many people look like Mr. Putin." Dolinski later confirmed to independent outlet Meduza that the woman working at the galleries is indeed Svetlana Krivonogikh's daughter. He acknowledged her physical resemblance to past images of Putin's alleged child and said she is completing an internship as part of her studies. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
WWDC 2025: Apple could let developers use its AI models to build new features, says report
Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is all set to take off from 9 June, marking the Cupertino-based tech giant's second-biggest event of the year where it demonstrates all its software prowess. Over the last year, Apple has received a lot of flak for its patchy rollout of new software updates, along with delays in AI features, some of which still haven't arrived. However, the company will likely try to shift attention from those concerns as it focuses on a major rebrand with the unveiling of iOS 26 at WWDC 2025, a significant departure from the current naming scheme used by Cupertino. Gurman says the new AI features to be unveiled by Apple at WWDC 2025 will be minor and are unlikely to impress industry watchers, especially at a time when the pace of AI progress is accelerating, with companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI announcing new products almost every month. Among the AI features Apple is reportedly planning this year is a systemwide push into translation. The Translate functionality will be integrated across Apple operating systems as part of Apple Intelligence, with its main use case being live translation of phone calls and text messages. Gurman adds that the biggest AI-related announcement by Apple will be opening up its large language models (LLMs), the building blocks behind Apple Intelligence, to outside app developers. This will allow them to build their own AI features using the same technology that powers tools like Genmoji and Apple's writing aids. Apple is also expected to announce an upgraded version of its foundation models for both on-device and cloud use at WWDC 2025. Notably, developers will be given access to the on-device version of these LLMs. In terms of other AI announcements, there is unlikely to be any update on Apple's long awaited Siri revamp. Moreover, the Apple's partnership with Google to use Gemini in its apps is also unlikely to be announced at this year's WWDC.
