AI can democratise films: Bhumi Pednekar

Democratising filmmaking with artificial intelligence can help build a better future for everyone, actor and climate activist Bhumi Pednekar said.

One of the five young global leaders who were asked for one transformative idea each for a better world in 2025, Pednekar said AI has the potential to democratise filmmaking, expand access to educational films and improve the industry for marginalised groups.

Along with several others named ‘Young Global Leaders’ by the World Economic Forum for helping improve the state of the world, Pednekar is here to participate in the WEF Annual Meeting that will continue till January 24.

Giving an example of her 2017 film ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ (‘Toilet: A Love Story’), which addressed the issue of open defecation (ODF), she said the film used a comedic and romantic tone to comment on various themes, from how lack of sanitation creates gender disparity and puts women at risk, to the health hazards of a lack of indoor plumbing.

“The film became a catalyst for change in India and was used as part of the government’s campaign to eradicate ODF,” she wrote on the WEF blog.

The film was used across rural India, where the problem primarily existed, as an easy-to-understand educational tool. The proportion of the population defecating in the open declined significantly from 2016 to 2022, following government efforts and the film’s release, she said in her response.

She pitched for technological advances and visual effects to help such stories become more impactful. “Imagine showing the same film, but modified by AI for global audiences, ensuring the message resonates across languages and regions,” she said.

She added, “As an actor and an advocate for equality, I’m most excited about how AI will democratise storytelling. I have chosen roles that challenge prevalent beauty standards and centre women and marginalised groups like the LGBTQ community. But there are still too few films made with the female gaze or telling queer stories.”

Pednekar lamented that studios avoid investing in such films due to high costs and market risks, but AI can change that with lower costs and a shorter filmmaking process. AI can make female-centric films a sustainable business model and help make the industry safer for women and marginalised groups by automating unbiased casting processes and identifying patterns of misconduct.