Director Vinayan has revealed that he faced a ban for featuring Mohanlal and Mammootty using computer-generated imagery (CGI) in his film Boyfriend. Speaking at the teaser launch of his upcoming AI-based film Manikandan: The Last Avatar, Vinayan recalled that the move had caused a major controversy at the time, highlighting how technological advances have transformed filmmaking.

“When I was making Aakasha Ganga in 1999, 26 years ago, there was a shot where the ghost Mayuri’s face was morphed to look like a cat’s. Back then, that morphing cost ₹12,000 per second. Today, it’s just around ₹300 to ₹500 per second. While making Athbhutha Dweepu, we had to make Jagathy Sreekumar – Ambili chettan – dance as a dwarf. The hardships we went through then were immense. Today, we could make him perform any dance just by providing a photo of Ambili chettan and a dwarf. The possibilities are beyond imagination,” Vinayan said.

He added, “Adisayan had a concept similar to the Hulk, where a small boy becomes big. At that time, it took several years to make a Hollywood movie with that effect. In our industry, with small budgets and tight release schedules, I couldn’t get the kind of graphics I wanted. In Boyfriend, I featured Mammootty and Mohanlal through CGI, which became a huge issue. They banned me for one or two years.”

Reflecting on the present, Vinayan said, “Today, anyone can create anyone digitally. Mammootty and Mohanlal could appear in 100 films a year if they simply provide their photos. They could act with expressions beyond what they’ve ever done and perform action sequences effortlessly. This is the era of AI. Our actors are immensely talented, but the new technology allows technicians to craft performances that surpass reality. The future of cinema and technology belongs to those who can create superior performances at their fingertips.”