Raanjhanaa, the box-office hit romantic film, starring Dhanush and Sonam, is a fan favourite movie. The 2013 romantic drama also stars Abhay Deol, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Swara Bhaskar. However, ahead of the film’s re-release of the Tamil version, Ambikapathy, the AI-generated ending has sparked a huge debate. For the unversed, Ambikapathy was scheduled to re-release in theatres on August 1, 2025. Raanjhanaa’s director, Aanand L Rai, shared his disappointment over the change in his film’s ending. Renowned director, Neeraj Pandey, well known for his classics including Special 26, Baby, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, among others, came forward and shared his take on the following matter.
Raanjhanaa‘s filmmaker, Aanand L Rai, is unhappy with the film’s new AI-assisted ending
The 2013 romantic drama, Raanjhanaa, the Hindi debut of Dhanush, opposite Bollywood actress, Sonam Kapoor, was an appropriate example of a not-so-perfect love story. However, the production banner Eros International Media has made a drastic move and altered the tragic ending into a happy one. The production house announced that the Tamil version of the film will now offer a different climax, which is created with AI assistance. Meanwhile, the director of the 2013 film, Aanand L Rai, was unhappy with the production house’s decision and was also unaware of it. He wrote a lengthy post on his Instagram handle, sharing his disappointment on the following matter. Speaking with The Indian Express, he said:
“I’ve to be very careful while signing the dotted line. AI is the future. Everybody knows that. But then use it for the future or for the present. Don’t use it to distort the past!”
Eros International Media claims themselves the ‘sole and exclusive copyright owner’ of Raanjhanaa
Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO of Eros Media World, recently sat for an interview with NDTV and claimed to be the ‘sole and exclusive copyright owner’ of the 2013 romantic hit film, Raanjhanaa. He revealed that Raanjhanaa’s director, Aanand L Rai, knew about the AI-generated climax, which was conveyed to him during post-production. Pradeep shared that in this case, the use of AI is ethical and doesn’t tamper with the original creation. In his words:
“In this case, despite the ongoing legal matter, our notice of creative intent was conveyed post-production to Mr Rai. We regret his response but stand by the decision to proceed responsibly and transparently. Creative reinterpretations-whether through alternate endings, remasters, or AI-are an established part of global cinema. This alternate version complements the original, which is still available. Ethical use of AI in this case did not erase or override original contributions but offers a wonderful new narrative lens.”
Neeraj Pandey slams the AI-generated ending of Raanjhanaa by Eros International Media
In an interview with NDTV, Neeraj Pandey shared his take on the ongoing debate of the AI-assisted happy ending of the tragic love story, Raanjhanaa. He slammed the production house, Eros International Media, for their drastic move to alter the original ending. He calls the production’s action disrespectful to the creators. In his words:
“AI is just a tool. A human being is operating it. So it’s the intent behind its use that matters. And if a piece of cinema is being altered without involving the director and writer, then it’s utterly disrespectful. They could have done better. I’m honestly zapped to hear this. If Eros says, ‘We have the rights, we can do anything,’ that’s still no excuse. A little communication wouldn’t have hurt. If they had just spoken to Aanand and the other creators involved in birthing that film, it would have been the right thing to do.”
Who holds the copyright ownership, Eros or the director, Aanand L Rai? Here’s what the law says
According to Indian Copyright Law section 2(d), the producer of a cinematograph film holds the copyright ownership. The director of the film cannot claim any legal control over the film unless they have a specific contract that grants them ownership. Although Aanand’s disapproval is creatively valid, it does not hold much ground under the Indian Copyright Law.
What are your thoughts on the new AI-generated ending of the Tamil version of Raanjhanaa? Let us know.
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