Acclaimed director Shekhar Kapoor has revealed plans to set up a film school in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum, with a special focus on artificial intelligence technology in filmmaking.
The initiative draws on Kapoor’s decade-long experience of running the Dharavi Project alongside Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, a hip-hop and rap initiative in Dharavi in partnership with Universal Music that has successfully launched several students to national stardom.
“These kids have become national stars,” Kapoor said. diverse. “For many years, people have been saying to me: Please start a film school. I am starting a film school in Dharavi, and the reason is because I believe that artificial intelligence represents a new impetus in cinema.
Kapoor is known for his eclectic credits that include Hindi films Masoom and Mr. India, the powerful biopic Bandit Queen, the Oscar-winning Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett, The Four Feathers starring Heath Ledger, and the romantic comedy What’s Love Got to Do With It? is also the Festival Director of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
“AI is the most democratizing technology that has emerged, despite what everyone says,” Kapoor continued. “Because I know that my future competition is not with the biggest directors in the world, but with this 15-year-old girl living in a slum in Mumbai who understands the motivation and will be able to make one- and two-minute-long films just by sitting in front of “The computer…and it will be better than me.”
He added that by accessing and understanding this technology, anyone can become “the greatest filmmaker in the world.”
While the exact timeline for launching the school remains uncertain, Kapoor noted that he has already begun preliminary work. Talks are ongoing with high-level partners, but details are being kept secret for now.