Aanand L Rai’s romantic drama Raanjhanaa was re-released in theatres this August. However, it wasn’t a regular re-release; the producers had altered the ending using AI. This move sparked debate in the industry, with Rai openly expressing his disappointment over the film’s climax being changed to a “happy ending” through artificial intelligence. The decision was also criticised by the film’s lead actor, Dhanush.
Karan Johar backs Aanand L Rai
Now, filmmaker Karan Johar has come out in support of Rai, saying that his consent should have been taken before re-releasing the film with an AI-altered ending. Karan shared his thoughts on Komal Nahta’s YouTube show Game Changers, where he was asked who should have the right to re-release a film with a modified ending. He said, “This should now be contractual. If the producer owns 100 per cent of the film, then he or she has the right to do whatever they want. But they must also face the moral dilemma about it. Even today, I own every IP of my films, but if I have to make any change, I always call the director first. So when it’s not contractual, it has to be moral. If you don’t have morality and you’re changing a director’s vision to release the film without their consent, then that is not right.”
He further added, “It’s your moral responsibility to call Aanand L Rai, it was his vision, and he’s the reason you’re able to do this today. You should call everyone who made that film special. What did you even achieve by changing it? It’s not as if the film made huge business. Because it’s inauthentic. AI should be used only where it truly adds value, what’s natural will always work better.”
About AI-altered ending
When Raanjhanaa released in 2012, the film revolved around Kundan (Dhanush) who falls in love with Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) a muslim girl. As the film leads to climax, Kundan is shot at a rally and dies later at a hospital. In the AI version of the film in Tamil, Kundan survives.
In a quote shared with the media, Rai expressed deep disappointment over not being consulted before the re-edit. “People connected with Raanjhanaa because of its flaws and imperfections,” he said. “To see its ending altered without a word of discussion is a gross violation not just of the film, but of the trust of the fans who’ve carried the film in their hearts for 12 years.”
Replying to this, the studio claimed that they are the ‘sole and exclusive copyright holders of the film’ and the re-release is ‘offered as an addition to, not a replacement of, the original’.
Reacting to the fiasco, Rai said in an interview, “Machines can’t create films. The tragedy was part of Raanjhanaa’s DNA. You can’t just rewrite its soul.”
As per reports in Variety, he is now working with lawyers and fellow filmmakers to develop contract templates that include explicit consent clauses for AI-based changes. These would protect directors and writers from having their work altered posthumously, or commercially without their approval.
