De-Aging Technology: Transforming Cinema, But At What Cost?

De-aging technology has become a significant tool in filmmaking, allowing filmmakers to portray different life stages of a character, from childhood to adulthood, using visual effects. This technique was first introduced in the 2006 movie X-Men: The Last Stand. Since then, it has been used in many films, sometimes so seamlessly that audiences mistake it for makeup.

One of the notable uses of de-aging was in the movie The Irishman, which received critical acclaim but also faced criticism for the lack of a "human touch" in the de-aged characters. In Indian cinema, Shah Rukh Khan was the first to use this technology in the movie Fan. He also used it in Zero, utilizing his own VFX studio to experiment with this technology. In Telugu cinema, Chiranjeevi used de-aging in Acharya, and recently, this technique was employed to de-age Amitabh Bachchan in Kalki 2898 AD.

However, despite its many benefits, de-aging is not without its challenges. In some cases, de-aged characters may look unnatural or lack the emotional depth of a real actor's performance. This was seen in Vijay Goat, where a full-length character was de-aged, and the results were heavily criticized for not looking convincing. Lip sync issues and unnatural expressions are common drawbacks of the technique, as seen in the second half of the movie.

While de-aging offers a solution to avoid lengthy makeup sessions and allows older actors to appear youthful, it must be used carefully. Overuse or improper application can disconnect the audience from the story. Additionally, there are concerns about recreating actors using deep fake technology without proper consent or compensation. To ensure fair use, guidelines must be established for paying royalties to actors whose likenesses are recreated using de-aging techniques.