Months ago, Manoj Bajpayee told mid-day that his next, Police Station Mein Bhoot, would be a “creative shock” as filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma had evolved significantly (Ramu sees me differently from others, November 9). When we met Varma recently and mentioned that his leading man was all praises for him, he smiled before replying, “He enjoyed shooting this film with me. I think he saw a different side to me because we had worked together before as well.” The horror comedy is the latest collaboration of the duo, who earlier teamed up on Daud (1997), Satya (1998), Kaun (1999), Shool (1999), and Sarkar 3 (2017).

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Evolution is necessary for an artiste seeking longevity in his career. Varma would be among the first to agree with that. Recently, at a film festival in Mumbai, the director spoke about embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in filmmaking. Naturally, we asked him if he would use it in his future films. “Any technology will enhance the craft of filmmaking. It will be very stupid not to use it because people tend to resist any new technology.”

AI has certainly given rise to apprehension in many, including actors. The fear extends to filmmakers as well, noted Varma. “All the big-budget filmmakers are scared because a tool like Seedance [AI video generator] is creating sequences for a few dollars that hundreds of crores of rupees cannot do.” So how does he plan to protect himself and not become a slave to AI? “You can be a slave only when it requires you. I don’t think AI needs you, to begin with.”