Anurag Kashyap slams Vijay Subramaniam for announcing ‘made-in-AI’ film Chiranjeevi Hanuman: ‘Unforgivable, you should be in gutter’

The note ttook a dig at the producer for representing several creators and yet ignoring them all by choosing AI. He wrote, “Congratulations Vijay Subramaniam. Here is the man head the Collective Artist Network that represents artists, writer, directors , now producing a film made by AI . So much for looking after and representing the interests of creators. End of the day , all these agencies are only interested in making money off you and since they choose turkeys after turkeys for you and you’re not making enough for them, they are going all AI.”

He also targeted the actors and wrote, “Any actor or anyone who calls themselves artists and has a spine will be and should be either questioning him or leaving the agency since he has proved that he thinks you’re no match for his AI performance.”

According to The Hindu, Collective Artists Network provides services to stars like Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Hrithik Roshan, Kartik Aaryan, Yash and Rashmika Mandanna, among others. The list also includes several musicians, authors as well as over a hundred creators from India’s influencer space.

Anurag also took an indirect dig at actors supporting the announcement and wrote, “This right here is the future for the spineless and cowardly so called artists in the Hindi Film industry. Well done Vijay Subramaniam . Shame is not enough on you. You should be in the gutter.”

A couple of hours after his post, the filmmaker again took to the comment section of his own post and wrote, “By all means use AI , if you want to. Nobody can stop AI from taking over every field and the world. My grouse and my genuine grouse is with my friend Vijay Subramaniam , because he is the CEO of KWAN Collective . He represents the artists, the voice of artists and he is producing an AI FILM , when the industry needs corrections , especially from the agencies , who are very responsible for costs going up, actors career paths and writers, musician , filmmakers . He instead of creating more with them , goes out and creates and AI band TRILOk. Him I didn’t expect.”

The filmmaker admitted that his disappointment in Vijay is the reason behind his anger and frustration with the AI project. “Not him of all the people. Abundantia is welcome to use AI and so can others if they think that’s what it is but Vijay Subramaniam doing it absolutely unforgivable,” wrote Anurag.

Anurag’s frustration received mixed response, while many hailed him for speaking against the projects, others questioned the reason behind his frustration with some even questioning his credibility as a filmmaker.

A user wrote, “Anurag, let’s be honest, your career now survives on noise, not films. After Wasseypur and Raman Raghav 2.0, what have you given this country that people actually pay for? 90% don’t step into theatres for your films, they wait for OTT, and even then regret wasting two hours. Your validation comes from film fests, not your own countrymen.”

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Vijay Subramaniam is yet to react to the filmmaker’s post. However, speaking to Indian Silicon Valley Jivraj Singh, Vijay shared the motive behind his agency. He told, “For me, it was always about building a foundation of powering the next generation of content curators and creators of the country.”

Vijay’s AI film Hanuman is all set to released in 2026 on Hanuman Jayanti. According to Variety, a team of over 50 engineers from Galleri5 (the tech arm of Collective Artists Network) have developed the production. The makers even worked with cultural scholars and literary experts to ensure narrative authenticity.

The soundtrack for the film is created by Trilok, which is again billed as world’s first AI-powered band.

Speaking to Variety, Vijay shared, “At Collective, we live where culture, creators, and technology converge. With this film, we have the extraordinary opportunity to reimagine cultural storytelling for an audience that cherishes both tradition and innovation. Our approach is rooted in authenticity and cultural stewardship, ensuring complete transparency about the role of AI in the creative process.”

Meanwhile, Hanuman’s co-producer Abundantia Entertainment is known for producing films like Airlit, Shakuntala Devi, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Ram Setu, among others.

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