Ramayana English trailer: Namit Malhotra DECODES DNEG’s AI-powered lip-sync technology!

The English trailer of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1 has been released by Sony Pictures for audiences worldwide, offering an international preview of the upcoming epic.

While the scale and visual effects have drawn attention, one of the key talking points has been the technology used to ensure that the actors’ lip movements match the English dialogue.

Unlike conventional dubbed versions, where a new voice track is placed over the original footage, the English version of Ramayana: Part 1 uses DNEG’s AI-powered technology to digitally adjust the actors’ mouth movements.

Producer Namit Malhotra has now explained how the process combines human performances with technology to achieve a more natural result.

Namit Malhotra explains how Ramayana’s English lip-sync was created Speaking to ET Now, Malhotra stressed that the process did not begin with AI.

According to the producer, the first step involved human voice performances, with members of the principal cast also contributing their own English voices.

“If you've seen that, where we've got tremendous praise, where we've actually brought in human actors, voice actors, who actually come in and performed the voice performances.

Some of them actually are done by the actors themselves, who have a good command over the language and are able to emote appropriately in a different language,” he said.

Malhotra explained that this human-led approach was important to preserve the emotional quality of the performances.

“So we've done that as a first step to make sure that the rendering of that expression and emotion is authentic, and it's led by humans.

There is no AI whatsoever,” he added.

The next stage involved creating the appropriate lip movements for the English dialogue.

Malhotra said human artists first established the foundation for how the characters’ lips should move in sync with the new voice performances.

“There is no AI whatsoever.