Music composer Tenma revives Tamil folklore hero Madurai Veeran through AI video

In a first of its kind project, music composer Tenma has created a video tribute to Tamil folklore hero “Madurai Veeran” using Artificial Inteligence (AI). Tenma, known for his innovative work for Tamil movies like “Natchathiram Nagarkirathu” and “Irandam Ulagaporin Kadaisi Gundu”, is pushing boundaries again, this time by using AI.
In the long-format music video, “The Valour of Madurai Veeran”, he brings to life a legendary warrior, blending folklore with advanced technology. Madurai Veeran is a celebrated figure in Tamil therukoothu (street theatre), revered for his valour and strength in defending the kingdom of Thirumalai Kayaker (a king from the Nayaka dynasty who ruled Madurai from 1623 to 1659) from bandit invasions.

Although his tale ends in betrayal, he remains an iconic hero in Tamil culture, symbolising courage and resilience. Tenma’s AI-driven tribute aims to revive Veeran’s legacy and connect audiences with a Dravidian warrior they can relate to. Legend has it that Veeran was brought back to life after his wives Bommi and Vellaiyammal prayed to Goddess Meenakshi and then retired to a cave.
Creating an authentic Tamil identity, however, was no easy feat. “Initially I searched for an Indian warrior through AI but the prompts mostly produced North Indian features but I was determined to capture a Dravidian face as I wanted the image to be relatable and deeply connected to Tamil Nadu’s culture,” Tenma shared.
The budget constraints for traditional filmmaking inspired Tenma to explore AI further. The cost of recreating period battle scenes would have run into crores, but with tools like MidJourney and Lume Dream Machine, Tenma produced the entire video at a fraction of the price.
Tenma faced scepticism from some who felt AI threatened traditional filmmaking. Addressing these concerns, he explained, ““This is not true, AI can never replace traditional film making but AI has made the instruments much more accessible to anybody who wishes to bring their imaginations to reality.”
He envisions AI as a game-changer for the industry, even dreaming of a day when technology could resurrect stalled projects. “One of the biggest projects in Tamil Cinema for legend Kamal Haasan was ‘Marudhanayagam’. But due to several issues mainly budget the project could not be completed. However, fans are still waiting for at least one form of the movie after its trailer release in the 90s which itself is still jaw dropping. Now imagine if Kamal Haasan is resurrected as Marudhanayagam with the help of AI, that is the potential and my long format video is the first step towards that,” Tenma said.