Rajkummar Rao has addressed the criticism surrounding the first poster of Dada, the upcoming Sourav Ganguly biopic in which he plays the former Indian cricket captain. The poster, unveiled in July, had
drawn sharp reactions online, with several fans claiming that Rajkummar’s look appeared AI-generated.
Speaking to Mashable India, Rajkummar acknowledged that the team had received considerable criticism and said the people behind the poster realised that it should not have been rushed.
‘Take Your Time, There’s No Hurry’
“The ones who made it, they learnt the lesson that they shouldn’t have rushed it. Take your time, there’s no hurry. I think the team learnt their lesson,” Rajkummar said.
The actor added that the response also showed them the level of interest surrounding Sourav Ganguly.
“But they also learnt another thing with this, that Dada has a crazy fan following,” he said.
Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Dada has been in production for some time, with Rajkummar spending considerable time preparing to play Ganguly.
Rajkummar Rao On Growing Use Of AI In Films
During the same conversation, Rajkummar also spoke about the increasing use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. He said technology cannot be stopped, but argued that AI should remain a supporting tool rather than replace human work altogether.
“Technology has pros and cons. AI will come, you can’t stop it but we should use it as a supporting tool. You can’t be totally dependent on it,” he said.
Rajkummar expressed concern about the impact widespread AI use could have on jobs within the film industry.
“And I don’t want that to happen because lakhs of livelihoods can get affected by it. You can’t recreate everything sitting in a room. You can’t replace it with human emotion,” he said.
He added, “I don’t know if AI can replicate that so quickly. Because the AI work that we see, you know that it is AI. It’s not fun. You know it is fake. You can’t be making everything from AI.”
Dada Team Shot At Sourav Ganguly’s Home
Rajkummar also revealed that the team filmed portions of Dada at Ganguly’s own residence and at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“I have met him many times. We shot at his house as well. We also shot at Eden Gardens. We were in Kolkata for a while. I spent a lot of time with him, spoke a lot to him,” Rajkummar said.
Those conversations, he added, gave him access to details from Ganguly’s life that were not necessarily meant for public discussion.
“It was very important to know what was happening behind the scenes as well. He was very open about sharing his life with us,” he said.
Rajkummar also praised Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket.
“He is a legend. He made the Indian team. The team that is renowned today, he laid the foundation for that,” he said.
Film Will Also Cover Ganguly’s Difficult Phases
While Rajkummar did not reveal specific episodes that will feature in Dada, he confirmed that the film will not restrict itself to Ganguly’s successes.
“He saw many ups and downs in his career so how he fought those battles, came out of those battles,” Rajkummar said.
The Vikramaditya Motwane directorial is currently scheduled to release in May 2027.
