Tharun Bhascker speaks out on Keedaa Cola AI issue

We had previously reported that the makers of Keedaa Cola had been on the receiving end of a legal notice issued by singer and producer SP Charan for the AI recreation of SP Balasubramanyam’s voice. Tharun Bhascker, the producer and director of Keedaa Cola, had recently spoken about the issue at the trailer launch of the ETV Win Original series Thulasivanam. Thulasivanam, starring Akshay Lagusani and Venkatesh Kakumanu, is produced by Tharun Bhascker’s home banner VG Sainma. 

Tharun had rubbished off speculations on a feud between himself and SP Charan by stating that what they have had so far was merely a communication issue. The filmmaker had also reiterated that the AI recreation of SP Balasubramanyam’s voice came from a place of respect. He mentions that the song was a way of honoring SPB’s legacy and did not have any malafide, ‘commercial’ intentions attached to it whatsoever. 

Speaking about artificial intelligence, the director reflected that while an evolution in technologies poses a threat to jobs all over, one must, nevertheless, move ahead with the times. 

Keedaa Cola starred Chaitanya Rao, Rag Mayur, Brahmanandam, Jeevan Reddy, Vishnu Oi, Tharun Bhascker, Ravindra Vijay and Raghu Ram. The film had music composed by Tharun’s frequent collaborator Vivek Sagar.