Is Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna's Ranabaali first glimpse AI-generated? Director clarifies he ‘invested months’

Rahul Sankrityan's period drama Ranabaali will star Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna and Arnold Vosloo in lead roles.

On Republic Day, director Rahul Sankrityan released the first look of his upcoming period drama, Ranabaali. Starring Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna and Arnold Vosloo in lead roles, the film is a period drama set in the pre-Independence era. Amid criticism that the video allegedly used AI, director Rahul clarifies.

Vijay Deverakonda plays the lead role in Rahul Sankrityan's Ranabaali.

Was AI used to make Ranabaali first glimpse?

A film critic and founder of a Telugu cinema website took to his X (formerly Twitter) to share the first look of Ranabaali. Sharing it, he wrote, “#Ranabaali glimpse is sensational. Largely created using AI, it highlights key aspects of the pre-Independence era, exposing how the British plundered India’s wealth and carried out genocide.”

However, in his reply, Rahul denied that AI was used to generate the visuals. He claimed that it took them months to make the video in ‘older ways’, writing, “Thank you @idlebrainjeevi garu. But AI was not used, every frame was worked in older ways- invested months of time.” Fans thanked Rahul for his clarification, because many had wondered if it was AI.

“Thanks for confirming Rahul,” commented one fan. Another wrote, “Idhe dedication needed (This is the dedication we need).” One fan reasoned on X, “Using AI makes work easier and you will get desired output when properly done. Using ai doesn’t mean bad work or less effort to go with older ways just to sound worked hard.”

About Ranabaali

Ranabaali is the soon-to-be-married couple Vijay and Rashmika’s third film after Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade. This is Vijay’s second film with Rahul after Taxiwaala. It will be produced by Mythri Movie Makers, presented by T-Series, and released worldwide on September 11.

The film is set in the 19th century, between 1854 and 1878. The makers claim to tell the story of a ‘genocide worse than Hitler’s Holocaust’ based on ‘multiple real accounts, oral histories, and suppressed records’.

Ranabaali talks about how officials like Sir Richard Temple deliberately turned regions into drought zones. Vijay plays the titular role, Rashmika plays Jayamma, and Arnold of The Mummy-fame plays Sir Theodore Hector. Music for the film is composed by Ajay-Atul.