Zeeshan Ayyub expresses anger at AI version of Raanjhanaa, calls it humiliating

Aanand L Rai`s Raanjhaana was recently re-released in theatres with a twist. The makers- Eros International- without the consent of the director or the cast, altered the ending of the film using AI for re-release. After Dhanush and Aanand L Rai now actor Zeeshan has spoken against the AI version of the film. 

Zeeshan on AI version of Raanjhanaa

Zeeshan played the role of Dhanush`s character Kundan`s friend Murari. Talking about the AI version of the film in a conversation with Digital Commentary, he said, "Mere hisaab se bhut kharab baat hai. I totally disagree. Ek duniya hoti hai, ek khaanikaar bethke bunta hai. I think Raanjhanaa ki khoobsurti yeh thi ki vo jo aapko ek pain aur satisfaction milta hai, voh pyaar main jo akhiri mukaam ki baat hoti hai, apni maut main pahunch jaana aur itna pyaara tha ki usse jaane diya. Voh khoobsurti nahi cheenani chahiye. Aapne film ka saar badal diya, cheen liya (In my opinion, it’s a very bad thing. I totally disagree. There’s a whole world, and then there’s a storyteller who weaves it. I think the beauty of Raanjhanaa was that it gave you both pain and satisfaction — that final stage of love where you reach your own death, and it was so beautiful that you let it happen. That beauty shouldn’t be taken away. You changed the essence of the film; you took it away)."

Actor reacts to AI-altered scene

The AI-altered scene has a happy ending where it shows Kundan`s character come to life and Sonam Kapoor, Zeeshan Ayyub, and Swara Bhasker `s characters rejoicing. “Aapne audience se ek bhut important emotion cheen liya. Mujhe toh gussa bhi aaya, maine socha sue kardunga yaar. Le deke humari itni to izzat hoti hai ki acting achhi hoti hai, usmein jo mera shot inhone AI se karaya hai, itna zaleela hone waala shot hai voh, mera dil beth gaya. Main kabhi aise aansun puchte hue nahi rounga (You took a very important emotion away from the audience. I even got angry, I thought, ‘I’ll sue them, man.’ The only respect we have is that our acting is good, and here they made my shot with AI — and it’s such a humiliating shot that my heart just sank. I’ll never cry the way shown in the AI version)."