Mookuthi Amman 2: Sundar C defends CGI team amid AI criticism ahead of Deepavali release
Nayanthara’s Mookuthi Amman 2 is preparing for its theatrical release on November 6, with the film set to arrive during the Deepavali season alongside Suriya’s Scene and Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana: Part 1.
The sequel is directed by Sundar C, who has taken over from RJ Balaji, the filmmaker behind the 2020 original.
Following the trailer’s release, some viewers on social media questioned the quality of its visual effects, with several alleging that portions appeared to have been generated using artificial intelligence.
Speaking at the film’s pre-release event on Wednesday, Sundar C expressed disappointment over the criticism, saying many comments were made without understanding the effort involved in creating the visuals.
The director acknowledged that AI technology would increasingly influence the visual effects industry but stressed that the sequel’s graphics were primarily created by a large team of professionals.
According to Sundar C, nearly 400 technicians from the Tamil film industry worked on the CGI for around one-and-a-half years.
He revealed that the film contains approximately 3,000 graphics-heavy shots, with AI reportedly used in only around 15 of them.
Sundar C urged audiences to evaluate the visual effects after watching the complete film and recognise the work of the technicians involved.
He also described the project as a female-led film featuring Nayanthara and Regena Cassandra, while praising the visual effects crew as the film’s unsung heroes.
The cast includes Duniya Vijay, Urvashi, Yogi Babu, Myna Nandini, Garuda Ram, Abhinaya, Shruthy S, Singapuli Annavi, VR Swaminathan, Sivakumar S, Sunil Varma Indukuri, Varshini Venkat, Pala Karuppiah, Nitin Sathyaa and Deblina Chaki, among others. Hiphop Tamizha has composed the music for the sequel, which is scheduled to hit theatres on November 6.