New Delhi: Artificial Intelligence has officially entered Bollywood, with Maddock Films unveiling an AI-generated teaser of its upcoming film, Param Sundari. The production house is calling it a first look in the AI verse, but film critics aren’t buying the hype. According to them, it’s just a “temporary trend rather than a game changer”.
Param Sundari, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, is a new North-South love story set to hit theatres on 25 July. The film is directed by Tushar Jalota and produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films.
Last month, the production house dropped the official first look teaser, which has over 22 million views. Now, they’ve followed it up with an AI version—calling it another “first look”, only with an animated twist.
“Even in the AI-verse, this love story stays Param-Sundar and heart-stealing. Get ready for the biggest love story of the year! First look out now,” the caption read.
According to film critic Sumit Kadel, creating an animated video using AI tools doesn’t define the role of AI in filmmaking. The value AI truly holds in filmmaking is in the pre-visualisation.
“It can help filmmakers preview their vision and refine storytelling. They can make corrections before shooting with real artists. That’s where its real utility lies,” Kadel told ThePrint.
Film critic Amit Bhatia isn’t a fan of the AI trend, either.
“The charm of seeing a hero or heroine cannot be replaced by AI because AI-generated videos can be seen on fan pages, who do a fantastic job at it,” he said.
But Bhatia doesn’t support filmmakers jumping on the bandwagon.
“What effort are the filmmakers putting here?” he asked. “This shows their laziness, not creativity. I mean, AI is not creativity—it’s easy. And if they want something easy, then the audience will also take it easy and for granted.”
Also read: ‘There’s no North-South divide in films anymore,’ says Rana Daggubati
Sonu Nigam’s magic
The Param Sundari AI teaser showcases Sidharth Malhotra as Param, flaunting his toned physique and Janhvi Kapoor as Sundari in a South Indian look, with glimpses of their romance in Kerala’s backwaters.
But, it’s the track by Sonu Nigam that has got the internet hooked. In the comments, fans are requesting that the production drop the music video as soon as possible.
“Bro release the song ASAP we can’t wait anymore,” wrote an Instagram user.
“Please release this full song,” wrote another.
One of the users took a more creative route: “This isn’t just music. Its poetry, power, and perfection — the kind that stays with you long after the song ends.”
“I’m only going for this song by Sonu Nigam,” a fan commented.
The theme song is credited to Nigam and Sachin-Jigar.
North-South romances have long been a Bollywood favourite, as they generate box office magic. From Kamal Haasan and Rati Agnihotri’s 1981 hit Ek Duuje Ke Liye to Chennai Express and 2 States in the 2010s, the genre has been a recipe for success.
And now, Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra are coming together, for the first time, to revive Bollywood’s North-South rom-com.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)