India, Nov. 21 -- Upon its release in 1975, Hindi mythological film Jai Santoshi Maa hit the jackpot in theatres while its devotional songs were chartbusters on All India Radio. Anita Guha, who played the titular role, soared in popularity, while audiences made cash and sweet offerings inside packed cinemas. The film created an enormous cultural impact in enhancing the popularity of the deity in Hindu worship. A few months from now, Indian audiences will be able to watch a new AI-generated film Jai Santoshi Mata: Sukh Sampatti Daata produced by Abundantia Entertainment, a Mumbai studio which had earlier announced making Chiranjeevi Hanuman, pitched as India's first Made-in-AI film. Both films will be released in 2026. Jai Santoshi Mata is being created under the company's AI-focused creative division, Abundantia aiON, and is its attempt at delivering the tale of faith and devotion to a young audience, said Abundantia CEO Vikram Malhotra. Meanwhile, the number of AI-driven mythology film projects and shows have multiplied. Animation film Kurukshetra is already on Netflix, so is AI-generated Mahabharat on JioStar's TV channel and streaming service JioHotstar. The rush to create AI-generated epics is easy to see. Firstly, ancient Indian mythology and epics aren't subject to copyright as these texts are in the public domain. Secondly, they are attracting production houses which could not afford to create the epic worlds. Malhotra said they chose Hanuman and Jai Santoshi Mata not because of the easy availability of the intellectual property but because AI now allows them to create these stories earlier beyond their reach for being costly and time-consuming. The genres of fantasy, mythology and historical fiction require large, complex universes that AI can help bring to life more efficiently as some of them require celestial characters and cosmic settings, said Siddharth Kumar Tewary, founder of Swastik Stories. Producers also turn to these stories for their timeless appeal. "A richer audio-visual experience created with AI makes them more attractive to youngsters too," said Abundantia's Malhotra, adding that his target audience for Jai Santoshi Mata is the 25- to 45-year-old across India's top 100 cities. GenZ and millennials may be large consumers of digital-first and AI-generated content and possibly more inclined towards Indian traditions and culture given the rising national pride and Hindu revivalism of the last few years. A JioHotstar spokesperson said Mahabharat: Ek Dharamyudh has delivered one of the strongest and steadiest viewership trajectories seen for a new format. "What's even more encouraging is the response from GenZ. This cohort is showing the highest levels of engagement. And the appeal isn't limited to metros; the viewership is balanced across markets. It's clearly a cultural adoption and not just a trend," the spokesperson said. To tap younger audiences, Swastik Stories is building Bharatverse, a multi-platform, AI-driven universe to retell the stories of India's past in a fresh and immersive way. "Though still in its infancy, Bharatverse will use AI to seamlessly blend communication, creativity and technology," Tewary said, noting that today's generation is growing up in a noisy world with hundreds of apps, infinite content and short attention spans. "Indian stories are there, but they're scattered. There is no one destination that speaks to kids and young people in their language and formats, keeping the soul of our stories intact," he added. Youngsters do not bother if the content is AI, live-action, 2D, 3D, or anything else, said Tewary, adding, "if the story doesn't touch them, they swipe away." Yet Swastik's experiment with AI content has shown that youngsters respond when the visual language feels closer to what they're already used to: anime, gaming and stylised digital worlds. "AI, by nature, produces images and worlds that feel very close to that space. So, when they see AI-generated content, they think it looks like their world," Tewary said. Though AI provides a canvas with speed, stylised worlds and global aesthetics, the magic still comes from the storyteller, he said. A JioHotstar spokesperson agreed that the novelty of AI draws initial curiosity, but "what's truly winning people over is the narrative craft". JioHotstar is looking beyond mythology to include original IPs, fiction, historical narratives and creator-driven universes. At Abundantia too, the next AI-led project is a horror film. "Audiences want entertainment and value for their time and money. They do not care if content is AI-generated or live action," said Malhotra....