Karan Johar Backs Aanand L. Rai in ‘Raanjhanaa’ AI Ending Controversy

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has publicly supported director Aanand L. Rai amid the debate over the AI-altered ending of Raanjhanaa, re-released in August 2025. The 2013 romantic drama’s new ending sparked disagreements between producer Eros International and the original creators.

On Game Changers, Johar said that while producers technically control films they fully own, ethical considerations should guide any alterations. He emphasized consulting directors before changing their vision, stating, “If you don’t have morality, if you’re changing a director’s vision and releasing the film without his/her consent, then that is not right.” He criticized the AI revision as “inauthentic” and noted it did not lead to major box office success, stressing that natural storytelling resonates more with audiences.

Johar urged Eros to have involved Rai, whose creative vision shaped the original film. He also noted AI can be useful for VFX and budget efficiency but warned against using it merely to alter core storytelling.

The AI-altered ending of Raanjhanaa shows Kundan (Dhanush) surviving, instead of dying as in the original, changing the story’s emotional impact. Eros defended the redo as a “legal reinterpretation,” while Rai, along with actors Dhanush and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, criticized the move for undermining the film’s original intent.