Latest news with #Tribhanga
NDTV
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Kabir Khan, Kanika Dhillon, Renuka Shahane Slam AI-Edited Raanjhanaa Ending, Call It "Preposterous"
When Aanand L Rai's Raanjhanaa hits theatres in Tamil Nadu on August 1, re-released as its Tamil-dubbed version Ambikapathy, its ending will not be the one that film audiences remember. Posters promoting the re-release suggest the film's tragic climax has been altered using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to give it a "happy ending", where Dhanush's character survives. What was intended as a soulful, imperfect love story has now been digitally reshaped by production banner Eros International and not with its director Aanand L Rai's consent. Raanjhanaa, which originally released in 2013, revolved around Hindu man Kundan (Dhanush) who is in love with Zoya, a Muslim woman played by Sonam Kapoor, right from his childhood in Varanasi. Towards the end of the film, Kundan is shot at a rally in Delhi and later dies at a hospital. Weeks after Aanand L Rai called the move by the production banner "a gross violation" of the film's integrity and the trust of audiences who've embraced its flawed beauty, more and more voices from the film industry are joining the discourse raising serious ethical, legal, and creative concerns. Screenwriter Kanika Dhillon, who co-wrote Aanand L Rai's 2022 film Raksha Bandhan with her husband Himanshu Sharma, sayd the moment calls for urgent introspection. While AI is undoubtedly a powerful tool, she warns that it must be wielded with care. Just because studios may hold the legal rights to a film, and now have access to technologies like AI, doesn't automatically justify rewriting a story. "Are we okay with changing the story without the consent of its key creators?" asks Kanika Dhillon, who turned producer with Do Patti (2024). For her, altering a film without involving the people who birthed it is a clear infringement of moral rights and a violation of artistic trust. She argues that creators must now proactively safeguard their work because unchecked, this kind of tampering could set a dangerous precedent for the industry. Director Kabir Khan called the studio's actions "preposterous". For him, having the legal rights to a film does not give a studio the moral right to distort its core. If something similar happened to his work, Kabir Khan said, he'd take the matter to court, to the media, and to the public. "It's criminal to even entertain such a thought," the Ek Tha Tiger director said. That lack of communication and trust is exactly what actor and Tribhanga director Renuka Shahane finds most troubling. She called the move "really, really unethical", and said it breaks an unwritten contract between collaborators in the creative process. "The person who has birthed the project, the person whose baby the project is, suddenly the baby is snatched from their hands. I don't think that's right. It's morally and ethically completely wrong," she said, adding that if such a thing happened to her, much like Kabir Khan, she would take the matter to court. Shahane believes writers and directors now need to legally protect their creative control, especially the right to decide how a story ends. Producer Tanuj Garg, known for backing films such as Do Aur Do Pyaar and Tumhari Sulu, echoed the concern, calling it "a precarious issue". While he acknowledges that technology is transforming the business and empowering stakeholders, he also sees a growing threat to creative integrity. "There needs to be a balance if such a thing even exists," he said, "but more importantly, transparency of communication between partners, so that creators do not feel slighted." On Sunday, screenwriter-lyricist Varun Grover, who made his directorial debut with 2023's All India Rank, weighed in on the issue with his signature sarcasm through a reel that quickly gained traction online. With less than a week to go before Ambikapathy releases once again in theatres but with an alternate climax, the AI-generated "happy ending" has become far more than just a creative tweak. It's now a flashpoint for larger questions around authorship, artistic consent, and the unchecked power of technology in the hands of rights holders. As AI continues to blur the line between storytelling and simulation, creators are drawing a clear one of their own: intent, authorship, and trust are not just footnotes, they're the foundation.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Kajol calls her mother Tanuja the most challenging co-star: 'I shivered in front of her'
Actress Kajol recently talked about her experience sharing screen space with her mother, former actress Tanuja , and how nervous she was while shooting the scenes. Kajol calls her mother Tanuja toughest co star ever In a conversation with India Today, Kajol opened up about facing her toughest co-actor to date. 'The most challenging co-actor I had to stand in front of, and I literally shivered in front of — was actually my mother,' Kajol shared. She recalled their scenes together in Toonpur Ka Superrhero. 'For the only time in my life, I genuinely felt nervous. I'm not normally a nervous person when it comes to work. I know exactly what I'm doing. I know how to go about it. I know how to concentrate on myself,' she added. Kajol Felt 'Helpless' During Ajay Devgn's 2012 Clash with YRF She admitted that doing a scene with her mother Tanuja gave her a disoriented feeling. Kajol also called the experience surreal — standing in front of her mother and the camera. Kajol about her Tribhanga co-stars Kajol also took a moment to appreciate other powerful female performers she has worked with in her career. She showered praise on her Tribhanga co-stars Tanvi Azmi and Renuka Shahane . She admitted that the most challenging people she had to work with were Tanvi and Renuka. 'Tribhanga was one of those projects where I truly felt the entire cast was such a joy to work with. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When the Camera Clicked at the Worst Possible Time Read More Undo I had an absolutely amazing time working with them — all of them,' Kajol added. Kajol's work front Kajol was last seen in Maa, directed by Vishal Furia. The movie also featured Ronit Roy, Indraneil Sengupta, and Kherin Sharma in key roles. It was released in theatres on June 27. Kajol is now gearing up for her next movie Sarzameen, alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran and Ibrahim Ali Khan . The film is slated to hit cinemas on July 25.
India Today
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Exclusive: Kajol says working with mother Tanuja made her shiver
Kajol recently reflected on one of the most surreal and emotionally charged moments of her career — sharing screen space with her mother, veteran actor Tanuja. Despite decades of experience in front of the camera, Kajol admitted that shooting with her mother was the only time she truly felt to India Today exclusively, the Maa actor opened up about her most challenging co-star of her career. 'The most challenging co-actor I had to stand in front of, and I literally shivered in front of — was actually my mother,' Kajol admitted. 'The scene I did with her in 'Toonpur Ka Superrhero', for the only time in my life, I genuinely felt nervous. I'm not normally a nervous person when it comes to work. I know exactly what I'm doing. I know how to go about it. I know how to concentrate on myself.'advertisementBut the presence of her mother changed everything. 'With her, I had this disoriented feeling. I was standing in front of my mother, in front of the camera. It was quite a surreal experience," she saidKajol also reflected on other formidable actors who have challenged and inspired her on screen. 'I think one of the most challenging people that I've had to work with was probably Tanvi Azmi and Renuka Shahane,' she said, recalling their time together on the critically acclaimed Netflix film 'Tribhanga'. 'Tribhanga was one of those projects where I truly felt the entire cast was such a joy to work with. I had an absolutely amazing time working with them — all of them,' said the actor. Kajol was recently seen in 'Maa', which was released on June 27. She will next be seen in 'Sarzameen', which also stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Ibrahim Ali Khan. The film is set to release on July 25.- EndsYou May Also Like
India Today
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Renuka Shahane's 'Loop Line'
In a startling sequence in actor-director Renuka Shahane's animated short film Loop Line, a homemaker makes pakoras out of her brain and serves them to her husband and his friends while they drink and chatter noisily. No, this is not a horror film. Loop Line is the sort of poignant feminist cinema Shahane has honed over her last two features, Rita (2009) and Tribhanga (2021).
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Renuka Shahane on animated film 'Loop Line': Wanted to write about women who can't change their lives
(Picture courtesy: Facebook) 27 Most stories about women end with them taking a big or small step towards a solution but what about those who don't have the means to change their circumstances? This question inspired Renuka Shahane to explore one such life in her animated film "Loop Line". Shahane, a known name in cinema and TV right from the Doordarshan days, said she kept thinking about many housewives stuck in an endless loop of emotional and verbal abuse. "I had this idea in my mind that when we read women's stories, in the end, they take a big or small revolutionary step to solve their problems. But what about those who never take that step or have no way out? They are stuck in a loveless marriage where they don't get any respect for their work and the mental abuse is normalised," the actor-filmmaker told PTI in an interview. "Loop Line", an over eight-minute short, is about a middle-aged Mumbai housewife, who cooks, cleans and has no life outside the small flat that she shares with her emotionally abusive husband. But her inner life is full of imagination that takes her places: be it romancing the screen hero that she is watching on TV or freely floating in a pond full of water lilies, a scene that instantly evokes the image of Claude Monet's famous painting. There are moments of angst that also find a voice in her fantasies. Shahane, who made her directorial debut with "Tribhanga" in 2021, said she initially wrote the story for the live-action format but she kept seeing the inner life of the character in animation. "When I was writing this, I realised that the fantasies of the woman in this particular film, I could see only in animation. And then I realised that the combination of animation and live action doesn't seem right. So I decided to make a full animation film. "I love animation. It is such a deep art form. And I have been fascinated with it since childhood. But I don't have any background in visual arts. So this was a big step for me," she said. It was, in fact, a giant leap for Shahane as she made a mature story in animation, a format that is mostly associated with children's stories in India. "There is no place or institution where we are showing mature-level animation films in India. So I knew this will be my passion project where I will invest money and I won't expect it to come back. I was adamant that I want to do this content only in animation. My animators at Paperboard Design Studio were surprised when I approached them." Shahane is happy that artists in India are waking up to the possibilities of the animation format beyond children's stories. "It has not yet picked up in our country like it has in Japan or other countries... Even Disney films, though they are children's stories, are aimed at the adult audience as well. Any art form is dependent on money. If it's not viable it's very difficult to make anything. Animation is a labour-intensive process. It takes a lot of time. So you need economically viable animation," she said. The film is titled "Loop Line" because Shahane could see the parallel between her character and Mumbai's local trains. Both keep working without receiving any gratitude and are like lifelines to their family and the city. Shahane said she wants to keep exploring stories where she has complete creative control like she had in "Loop Line". "As an artist, I am backing myself... Every artist should take that leap of faith. I am 58 years old and I have done a lot of work. During your struggle, you made compromises, but when you are comfortable, you should be committed to your art." "Loop Line" features voices of actors Mitalee Jagtap and Anand Alkunte. The movie has been screened at film galas like 19th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival, Mumbai Short and Documentary Film Festival and New York Indian Film Festival.
