In August of this year, Aanand L. Rai’s romance movie Raanjhanaa came back to theaters with an AI-made alternate ending. This caused a violent argument between the film’s producer, Eros, and its director. The film’s main performers also strongly criticized the changed ending, saying it took away from the story’s core.
Karan Johar, the filmmaker, has now spoken out about the issue, supporting Aanand L. Rai and criticizing Eros for not talking to the director before making changes to the film and re-releasing it.
Karan Johar talks about how AI is changing movies
Karan Johar was questioned on Komal Nahta’s YouTube show Game Changers who should be able to re-release a movie with a new ending. Johar said:
“This should now be a contract. If the producer owns the whole movie, they can do whatever they want with it. But he or she has to think about it morally. I still control all the IP, but if I need to do something to the movie, I call the director. So if it’s not a contract, it needs to be right. If you don’t have morals and you change the director’s vision and release it without their permission, that’s not right.
Johar said that the director’s vision was what gave the movie its spirit in the first place, and producers should respect that. He spoke more:
“His job is to call Aanand L. Rai, the man whose vision it was that made you do this today. It’s your moral duty.” You should call everyone who worked on that movie. Aur kya hi aapne change karke ukhaad liya. That movie didn’t make a lot of money. Because it isn’t real. AI needs to be used for what it’s worth. “Jo natural hai voh zyada chalega.”
Johar talks about AI in movies
Johar said that AI would play a bigger and bigger role in filmmaking, eventually replacing VFX. He said that AI could assist lower production costs, but it needs to be employed in a way that doesn’t hurt the authenticity of the creative work.
The Original Ending of Raanjhanaa compared. the AI-Altered Ending
In the original ending, Kundan, played by Dhanush, gets shot and sent to the ICU, where Zoya is with him as he dies. The AI version, on the other hand, depicted Kundan waking up, which made his pals Bindiya and Murari happy. This changed the sad ending of the movie into a cheerful one.
In a statement on July 29, Eros defended its choice, saying that the new ending was a “legal reinterpretation” and accusing Aanand L. Rai of utilizing Raanjhanaa’s IP without permission in his next movie, Tere Ishk Mein.
Actors and filmmakers don’t like the AI ending.
Aanand L. Rai has strenuously opposed the AI change, saying it sets a bad example for changing directors’ concepts. Dhanush and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, who played the main characters in the movie, also didn’t like the new conclusion. They said it took away the story’s heart and emotional weight.