Filmmaker Aanand L Rai has voiced his deep disappointment over an AI-modified re-release of his 2013 romantic drama Raanjhanaa, which has been renamed Ambikapathy for its Tamil version.
The film, which is set to return to cinemas on 1 August with an artificially engineered alternate ending, was reportedly altered by production house Eros International—without the director’s knowledge or consent.
Taking to Instagram, Aanand L Rai issued a heartfelt statement, condemning the AI-edited version as a violation of his creative integrity.
“The past three weeks have been surreal, and deeply upsetting,” Rai wrote, adding that it was devastating to see a film “born out of care, conflict, collaboration, and creative risk” be manipulated and redistributed in such a manner. He further lamented the casualness with which this decision was executed.
In the post, the director clarified, “Let me say this as clearly as I can: I do not support or endorse the AI-altered version of Raanjhanaa. It is unauthorised. I had no role in it. Neither did the team that made the film.” Rai stressed that the version being circulated now “is not the film we intended, or made” and referred to it as a “reckless takeover” that strips the work of its “intent, context, and soul.”
The filmmaker also expressed heartfelt thanks to his peers and fans who have stood in solidarity with him, stating, “The support and solidarity from the industry, our audiences, and the larger creative community has reminded me of what Raanjhanaa stood for in the first place – connection, courage, and truth.”
Calling the move a betrayal of the entire cast and crew, Rai emphasised the emotional labour involved in making the film. “To cloak a film's emotional legacy in a synthetic cape without consent, is not a creative act. It's an abject betrayal of everything we built,” he wrote.
Anand L Rai is currently working on Tere Ishq Mein, a spiritual successor to Raanjhanaa, starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon.
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