Vrindaavan Films & Director Maneesh F Singh plan Rs 500 cr Indian AI and VFx version of the Titanic

MUMBAI: According to news reports,  Chennai-based Vrindaavan Films and director Maneesh F Singh are said to be working on an Indian version of the epic Hollywood romantic disaster film Titanic, written and directed by James Cameron, with 50 per cent of the visuals and content of the Indian version of the film produced by AI and VFx.

Even the Hollywood 1997 film was partly fictionalized and Maneesh F Singh is working on a script of a yet-untitled film that borrows from accounts of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, but is otherwise a part of the script-writer and director’s imagination. At best, according to sources close to the production house, about 60 to 70 percent of the film is fictional.

Speaking to this reporter in Mumbai, Maneesh F Singh said, “Bollywood is famous for its big budget films. My project is both fictional and historical. There are factual elements – like the sinking of the ship, but otherwise the film is totally fictional. There are Indian passengers, Indian love and romance stories – only thing different is in my film they will not be dancing around trees, but on the ship’s decks. It’s going to be a really huge ship. Maybe much bigger than the original Titanic. Our budget is in excess of Rs 500 crore.”

So will this film be called “Desi Titanic” – no quips Singh. Whoever called it ‘desi titanic’ must be out of their mind, because this is just about a huge ship that sinks in international waters while on a transnational journey.

“We are in the pre-production stage. Even the finance aspects are being worked out. The film will probably go on floor in March 2026. There is a lot of VFx involved, we are using very sophisticated AI tools. I have a team of top AI and VFX experts in Bangalore working on certain elements of the film. I think the budget could be even Rs 600 crore as the technology at this level of imaging is very expensive,” Singh told this journalist.

Globally, there are many film and television variations of the Titanic disaster, including the 1953 drama, the 1958 historical drama ‘A Night to Remember’, and the 1997 epic romance.

Other versions range from documentaries and TV mini-series to horror films like Titanic 666 (2022) and adventure tales such as Raise the Titanic (1980).

The Hollywood film Titanic is a 1997 American film incorporating both historical and fictionalized aspects. It is based on accounts of the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star as members of different social classes who fall in love during the ship’s ill-fated maiden voyage. The ensemble cast includes Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bernard Hill, Jonathan Hyde, Danny Nucci, David Warner and Bill Paxton.