AI Ushers In A New Era for Mythological Storytelling

Stories of India - the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Upanishads, among others - have always captured our imagination, whether one viewed them as mythology, folklore, or history.

- BY KULBHUSHAN

We have heard those tales from our parents and grandparents, and our mental images of the characters and settings were influenced by the animated and live-action TV series and films. Looking back at the content from the past, it’s commendable that creators could do justice to the story through the limited technology and budget available. Even as technology such as VFX and CGI have become better, recreating these epics or even something smaller inspired by them remains a daunting task, given the grandeur of the tales. But can Artificial Intelligence (AI) pave the way for an easier, faster, and cheaper way to visualise these epics?

AI AS A CREATIVE & TECHNICAL ACCELERATOR

YouTube is currently flooded with various AI generated videos and snippets of these tales. A familiar narration with heavy baritone and slow moving characters, but all of them in an all new avatar, taking the imaginations to an all new level. Some of these videos have gone onto rake millions of views on the video sharing platform. They look spectacularly amazing. Late last year, admaker Rohit Reddy’s AI-based Mahabharat series went viral across social media. And most recently, Jio-Star and Collective Media Network released ‘Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh,’ a web series that uses artificial intelligence to reimagine the epic story. Clearly, there is an appetite for such AI content from both creators and audience.