Aanand L Rai’s romantic drama Raanjhanaa was re-released in theatres this August. However, it wasn’t a regular re-release; the producers had altered the ending using AI. This move sparked debate in the industry, with Rai openly expressing his disappointment over the film’s climax being changed to a “happy ending” through artificial intelligence. The decision was also criticised by the film’s lead actor, Dhanush.

Karan Johar backs Aanand L Rai

Now, filmmaker Karan Johar has come out in support of Rai, saying that his consent should have been taken before re-releasing the film with an AI-altered ending. Karan shared his thoughts on Komal Nahta’s YouTube show Game Changers, where he was asked who should have the right to re-release a film with a modified ending. He said, “This should now be contractual. If the producer owns 100 per cent of the film, then he or she has the right to do whatever they want. But they must also face the moral dilemma about it. Even today, I own every IP of my films, but if I have to make any change, I always call the director first. So when it’s not contractual, it has to be moral. If you don’t have morality and you’re changing a director’s vision to release the film without their consent, then that is not right.”