Acclaimed filmmaker Aanand L Rai has spoken out strongly against an AI-altered version of his 2013 hit Raanjhanaa, calling its unauthorised re-release “deeply upsetting” and “a reckless takeover” of creative work.
Taking to Instagram, Rai shared a heartfelt and impassioned post, expressing shock and dismay that his film, which starred Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor, and has since achieved cult status had been re-edited using AI and circulated without his knowledge or consent.
“The past three weeks have been surreal and deeply upsetting,” Rai wrote.
“To watch Raanjhanaa, a film born out of care, conflict, collaboration, and creative risk, be altered, repackaged, and re-released without my knowledge or consent has been nothing short of devastating.”
Rai went on to criticise what he described as the casualness and ease with which the altered version had been created and shared, asserting that neither he nor any member of the original creative team were involved in its production.
“Whatever it claims to be, it is not the film we intended or made. This was never just a film to us. It was shaped by human hands, human flaws, and human feeling,” he said.
“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.”
The director also took a moment to thank his collaborators, writers, actors, technicians, and crew and expressed gratitude to audiences and colleagues who had shown support and solidarity.
The situation has ignited concerns across the creative industry around authorship, consent, and the ethics of using AI to modify or reproduce artistic work. As tools become more powerful, debates over where to draw the line between innovation and appropriation are becoming increasingly urgent.
