Raanjhanaa Re-Release: Anand L Rai Slams Eros International For AI-Powered Ending Of Dhanush's Film, "How Can They Do This?"

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Raanjhanaa is one of Dhanush's biggest hits. Released in 2013, the movie featured Sonam Kapoor as the female lead.

After over a decade since its original release, Raanjhanaa is once again hitting the cinemas on August 1. However, the project's director, Aanand L. Rai, is clearly not pleased with the re-release. Why, you ask? The upcoming version will feature a new climax created using Artificial Intelligence.

Aanand L Rai, who also co-produced the film under his banner Color Yellow Productions, was not consulted before the studio Eros International made the decision.

In a chat with SCREEN, the filmmaker criticised the idea of an AI-powered ending. Aanand L Rai said, “I got to know through social media announcement a couple of days ago. People have already been messaging me asking me why that ending is being changed. I just can't wrap my head around this.”

The director also revealed that he reached out to Eros International to raise his concerns, but the studio refused to comply. Aanand now plans to write to them and ask them to drop his name from the “AI-altered film.”

“I don't get it, how can they do this? It's an ending people have loved! If not the filmmaker, at least listen to the audience,” said Aanand L Rai.

Questioning the “happy” ending in the upcoming film, the filmmaker added, “What is a happy ending? It's a tragedy, that's an emotion. How can you meddle with emotions? The voice of the film lies in that ending.”

Aanand L Rai also talked about how this is a big “lesson” for him as a filmmaker. He said, “The only good thing that's come out of this is I've learnt my lesson. I've to be very careful while signing the dotted line. I'm dealing with this, but other filmmakers should learn from this. A studio doesn't care about the story. Just to earn a few crores, they're tampering with a writer, director, and actor's creation.”

Further criticising the decision, the filmmaker said, “Maybe they're trying to test waters in Tamil Nadu first. They've sold it to a distributor there and must've earned a few crores out of that already. But if you commit a crime in Rome, it's still a crime! Even if you're releasing it in Tamil Nadu, where we don't have that much of a presence, but my actor does. And I'm responsible for what happens to his image there with my film.”

Aanand L Rai also predicted that the audience will not be pleased with the AI-powered ending. He said, “They'll realize it soon, when the actors and the audience will get back to them. No actors would want to work with them now. Maybe they don't want to work with actors anymore. They plan to make films with AI only.”

Aanand L Rai's next film, Tere Ishk Mein, will be released on November 28. The project features Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in lead roles.