Twelve years ago, ‘Raanjhanaa’ left many in tears. In the final, heart-wrenching moments of Aanand L Rai’s 2013 classic, Kundan, played by the ever-brilliant Dhanush, lay motionless on a hospital bed, having sacrificed everything for love. His death was not just the end of a character; it was the end of innocence, of unspoken love, of all the what-ifs that make Bollywood heartbreak unforgettable. But now, in a twist more dramatic than the film itself, Kundan is back.

The altered climax, now playing in Tamil Nadu under the film’s regional title ‘Ambikapathy’, shows Kundan waking up instead of dying, greeted by tearful smiles from his friends. A viewer-captured clip of the new ending has now gone viral.

The sequence continues with a dreamy montage of Kundan walking the lanes of Banaras, side by side with his childhood self, reliving the bittersweet poetry of a life that could have been. It’s pure nostalgia, dipped in sepia tones and heartbreak and for many viewers, strangely healing.

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In South India, where Dhanush is nothing short of a legend, this version has taken theatres by storm. Fans are cheering, crying and reliving the magic all over again.

But not everyone is applauding.

Director Aanand L Rai, who crafted the original masterpiece, has strongly condemned the AI-edited version. “I had no involvement in it,” he said on social media. “This is not the film we made. It’s the death of creativity,” Rai posted.

In a statement to The Indian Express, he said, “AI is the future. Everybody knows that. But then use it for the future or for the present. Don’t use it to distort the past!”

Eros International, the production house behind the film, stands by the edit. Claiming full legal rights, it defended the AI change as a step towards embracing evolving technology and audience engagement.

Internet is divided

While some people felt good watching the new ending, many were not happy about messing with the OG version. “I’m not saying the new climax is the best, but watching it did bring me some happiness,” wrote one user on X. Another user, disagreeing with the AI edit, posted, “That looked creepy and what happy ending? The original movie had a happy ending if u understood the movie. But since your brains are rotted due to this AI nonsense, you wouldn’t get it.”

“Poetic sense is lost,” wrote a netizen. Some users also pointed out that Kundan was resurrected because apparently a spiritual sequel ‘Tere Ishk Mein’ starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon is scheduled to come out later this year.