Aanand L Rai and Dhanush to take legal action over AI-altered re-release of Raanjhanaa

Aanand L Rai's directorial Raanjhanaa was recently re-released in the selected theatres

Aanand L Rai's directorial and Dhanush-starrer 2013 film, Raanjhanaa, was recently re-released in selected theatres with an AI-altered ending. The use of AI has sparked a debate on social media, with the filmmaker and the actor criticising it.

However, the report has suggested that Aanand and Dhanush are considering taking legal action over the AI-altered re-release. The filmmaker has recently released an official statement confirming that he and Dhanush will take legal action.

The filmmaker called the altered version "a very dangerous precedent” and raised his concerns over its implications for the future of creative ownership.

He said in the statement, “I am very worried about my other films. So is Dhanush. We are actively looking at judicial remedies to restore and preserve our creative content from such extraneous interventions.”

He emphasised that while they are exploring long-term legal options, their immediate concern is the unauthorised change to Raanjhanaa. On August 1, rights holder Eros International re-released the Tamil version of the film, Ambikapathy, which features an AI-generated climax that provides a happy ending. This is a significant shift from the original.

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This controversy unfolds amid a public disagreement between Eros International and filmmaker Aanand L Rai. On July 29, the production house defended its actions by accusing Rai of illegally using Raanjhanaa’s intellectual property in his upcoming film Tere Ishk Mein, set to release on November 28.

Raanjhanaa, a romantic drama written by Himanshu Sharma and starring Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, and Dhanush, originally premiered in theatres on June 21, 2013.