Farhan Akhtar said he supports the director of Raanjhanaa in AI row
Excel Entertainment's Ritesh Sidhwani agreed with Farhan
Raanjhanaa was re-released in cinemas on August 1 with an AI-altered ending
The recently re-released AI-altered version of Aanand L Rai's Raanjhanaa, with a "happy ending", sparked a controversy. Rai, in several interviews and also in a lengthy Instagram post, slammed the production banner Eros International for re-releasing the film without his consent, opposing the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to alter the ending. Even Dhanush called out the production house in a statement on X. Now, during the launch of the teaser of his upcoming film, 120 Bahadur, Farhan Akhtar shared his opinion on the row.
Farhan Akhtar on Raanjhanaa AI row
Farhan said, "I will always stand with the creator of the film, and if the creator of the film was unhappy about his or her work being changed, I will always support the creator. So that's where my loyalty lies."
Excel Entertainment's Ritesh Sidhwani, who was also present at the event, agreed with Farhan and added, "AI is a tool we must learn to use effectively and responsibly. Just like we moved from researching in libraries to using Google, AI is the next step - but it must never replace consent. I've read about what happened with Raanjhanaa, and honestly, it's not okay. If the filmmaker, the actor, or anyone involved hasn't given their permission, it shouldn't be done."
The AI-modified version of Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor starrer was re-released in the Tamil version, titled Ambikapathy, on August 1. In the original film, Dhanush's character, Kundan dies, but he is brought back to life in the new version by using AI.
Coming back to 120 Bahadur, Farhan Akhtar plays the titular character of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, of 13 Kumaon Regiment, who led 120 Indian soldiers to fight against the Chinese in the Battle of Rezang La, on November 18, 1962.
Directed by Razneesh "Razy" Ghai, 120 Bahadur will release in theatres on November 21, 2025. It also stars Raashii Khanna and is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment.
