National award-winning director Rajesh Mapuskar to direct India’s first Hindi theatrical AI film

The National Award-winning director Rajesh Mapuskar is set to helm the Hindi theatrical AI film, Chiranjeevi Hanuman - The Eternal. Billed as India's first-ever Hindi theatrical film, it is primarily being created using generative AI technology. The makers are aiming for an unforgettable experience that blends India's rich storytelling tradition with this cutting-edge technology.

The film will tell the legendary story of Lord Hanuman, drawing from the sacred epic of the Ramayana and revered Puranic texts. The movie is being produced by Vikram Malhotra's Abundantia Entertainment and Collective Media Network's Historyverse. The production is anchored by a team of over 50 engineers from Galleri5 (the tech arm of Collective Artists Network), who are collaborating with cultural scholars, literary experts and writers to ensure narrative authenticity.

The soundtrack is set to be created by Trilok, which is described as the world's first AI-powered band. The announcement of this AI-driven feature film has also sparked a debate within the industry regarding the role of AI in filmmaking, with some prominent directors voicing concerns about its impact on writers and creative professionals.

What to expect?

The technology is being leveraged to produce stunning, large-scale visuals that might be difficult or prohibitively expensive to achieve with traditional animation or VFX methods. Producers have stated their intention is to "tell one of India's most iconic stories... in a never-before manner," implying a fresh narrative or visual approach to the well-known legend.

Chiranjeevi is a Sanskrit term meaning immortal (or long-lived), and Hanuman is one of the seven Hindu immortals. This strongly suggests the film will focus not just on his famous deeds during the Ramayana, but on his eternal nature, his status as a beacon of eternal faith, devotion, and strength, and perhaps his continued relevance beyond the traditional timeline of the epic. It is slated for a worldwide theatrical release on Hanuman Jayanti in 2026.

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