Recently, I watched “Mahabharat – Ek Dharmyudh” on JioHotstar a series that claims to be India’s first fully AI-generated show. Technically, it’s breathtaking. Every frame is grand, every visual meticulously rendered, every set brought alive with Artificial Intelligence.
And yet… something essential was missing.
The emotion.
Despite its stunning visuals, the series couldn’t touch the soul. The facial expressions felt slightly off, the voiceovers sounded robotic, and the chemistry between characters the very heartbeat of the Mahabharata felt cold. It was a cinematic reminder that technology can simulate perfection, but not emotion.
As a brand strategy and design consultancy, this is precisely the balance we often talk about:
“No matter how advanced the tool, technology must always serve humanity does not replace it.”
We live in a time where AI is transforming every industry from banking to retail, and now entertainment. The keyword that defines this transformation is “how AI is changing Indian filmmaking.”
From automating VFX workflows to writing scripts, from creating ai-generated visuals for Indian mythology to generating realistic characters and scenes, AI has become an inseparable part of modern storytelling.
But there’s a clear difference between AI-powered storytelling and AI-driven storytelling.
The first uses technology as a brush in the hands of a human artist.
The second lets technology take over the canvas entirely.
At our consultancy, we believe creativity belongs to the first kind.
Because the essence of communication whether it’s a brand film, an OTT web series, or a 30-second TVC lies not in how perfect it looks, but in how deeply it feels.
The Mahabharat – Ek Dharmyudh series has made headlines for being among the first large-scale AI-generated Indian mythological shows.
It’s a landmark moment for the industry. It proves that India’s OTT ecosystem is ready to experiment with ai tools for video production, to push boundaries of what’s technically possible.
But this experiment also reveals the most crucial insight for creative professionals:
AI can replicate sight and sound but not sense and soul.
Human emotion the subtlest quiver in a voice, the warmth of a glance, the hesitation before a line is what connects audiences to characters. Without it, even the most visually stunning story feels incomplete.
That’s the gap that strategy, empathy, and creative direction are meant to fill.
In the modern communication landscape, content is no longer just created it’s generated.
From ai integration in OTT storytelling to automated ad scripting, the line between creativity and computation is blurring.
Yet, this convergence of human and machine isn’t a threat. It’s an invitation to design better, think deeper, and tell stories that move both the head and the heart.
The key question for every creative strategist and filmmaker today isn’t “Should we use AI?”
It’s “How do we humanize AI?”
At our consultancy, we often say: “Emotion is the invisible technology that powers every great story.”
You can have the most advanced motion-capture system, the sharpest 8K render, or the fastest generative engine but if the story doesn’t make people feel something, it’s just pixels on a screen.
Think about why Lagaan, Swades, or Sacred Games still stay in our minds not for their technical finesse, but for their emotional truth.
That’s what brands, creators, and storytellers must preserve, even in the age of AI.
Because emotion is not anti-technology.
It’s the reason technology exists to extend human experience, not erase it.
As AI becomes integral to filmmaking, advertising, and design, the responsibility of a brand strategist has evolved.
We’re not just building campaigns anymore we’re building connections.
We’re not just choosing the right AI tools we’re choosing where human touch must remain irreplaceable.
For instance:
In other words, the strategist of tomorrow is the translator between emotion and algorithm.
Every OTT platform, filmmaker, and content creator in India is exploring AI integration in OTT storytelling and rightly so.
It makes production faster, post-production smoother, and world-building limitless. But as we evolve, we must remember audiences are still human.
They don’t connect with a polygon count. They connect with a pulse.
Whether it’s a Mahabharata battle or a modern brand ad, we must add the flavour of emotion the sense of belonging, nostalgia, empathy, pride, or love that makes content memorable.
AI can help us visualise worlds.
Only humans can make them mean something.
We stand at a unique point in history. The next decade of Indian entertainment will be defined not just by who adopts AI fastest, but by who integrates it most meaningfully.
The future of filmmaking especially in India will depend on how we blend our cultural storytelling heritage with emerging technology.
Imagine combining the sensitivity of a Ramesh Sippy, the imagination of a Rajamouli, and the intelligence of an AI-powered pipeline. That’s the future we should be designing for.
AI will keep evolving from text-to-video to hyperreal character generation, to autonomous direction.
But amidst this revolution, one truth must remain constant:
Technology must feel human.
As a brand strategy design consultancy, we embrace AI. We study it, we use it, we integrate it. But we also believe that creativity without emotion is machinery without music.
Whether it’s a 10-hour OTT epic or a 10-second brand film the goal is not just to impress, but to involve.
Not just to simulate emotion, but to evoke it.
Not just to generate content, but to create connection.
Because the future of storytelling and branding belongs not to AI or humans alone.
It belongs to those who can bring the two together, beautifully.
