First shoot begins
Abundantia Entertainment and video creation platform invideo have started principal photography on Beta Builder, a live-action feature that will use generative AI in its production. The film went on floors in Mumbai on October 29 and is the first project from a slate announced in February 2026.
Under that deal, invideo committed Rs 100 crore over three years to develop five AI-driven feature films, pairing its generative AI tools with Abundantia’s production machinery.
- The slate: Rs 100 crore, five films, three years.
- The first film: Beta Builder, shooting now.
- The leads: Mayur More and Ashlesha Thakur.
- The director: Hridaye A Nagpal, also invideo’s global creative lead.
Story and treatment
The film centres on Jai, a self-taught architect from Dharavi who earns a chance in the virtual-reality world. The narrative tracks his effort to break through the system, fight for the person he loves and make sure his community has a voice in its future. It is, in effect, a Dharavi story extended into a speculative digital space.
Director Hridaye A Nagpal says generative AI lets filmmakers think bigger, and that Beta Builder is “a live-action shoot and AI working side by side.”
More and Thakur are a deliberate fit for a project that needs younger, streaming-native viewers. More is best known for Kota Factory and Black, White & Gray: Love Kills; Thakur appeared in The Family Man. The casting gives Beta Builder a digital audience before its first teaser arrives.
Why this matters
This is more than one production. It is a structured attempt to see whether generative AI can become part of the Hindi film pipeline without displacing the core craft of live action. The Rs 100 crore commitment over three years gives the experiment scale, and the first title is likely to set the creative template for the four that follow.
The partnership was announced in February 2026, so the first film has moved from deal to floor within the same year. That speed suggests the slate is designed to prove itself quickly rather than stay in development.
For fans, the stakes are simple: if Beta Builder works, expect more producers to treat AI as a reusable tool rather than a gimmick. If it stumbles, the conversation will shift to what AI can and cannot do inside a mainstream Bollywood narrative.
“In our partnership with invideo and Sanket, our focus is to leverage AI and tell stories that are unique, impactful and entertaining,” said Vikram Malhotra, Founder and CEO of Abundantia Entertainment. invideo CEO Sanket Shah called it “a story about building something that lasts.”
What to watch
Keep an eye on how the production credits and visual effects are described as the film moves forward: the first poster, teaser and song will reveal how visible the AI layer is. With Mayur More coming off Kota Factory and Ashlesha Thakur from The Family Man, the cast already brings streaming recognition to the project.
AI-assisted filmmaking is new enough that every production choice will be read as a signal by producers and platforms. Watch how the virtual-reality sequences are described when the first poster and teaser arrive; that will set expectations for the remaining four films.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com