Nani says The Paradise court order targets AI bots, not real reviews

Nani has stepped in to settle the confusion around the court order protecting his new film The Paradise. Speaking at the film's Mumbai press meet on Monday, the actor was asked a direct question about the Bengaluru court order and what it means for people who want to criticise the movie. His answer was short and clear.

The team has no problem with anyone watching the film, reviewing it or even criticising it, Nani said. What the makers are pushing back against is AI-generated material and content circulated through bots. "It does not target genuine reviews," he said.

The order itself came on Saturday, when a sessions judge in Bengaluru acted on an application filed by the film's producer, Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Cinemas LLP. The plea said a large amount had gone into production, marketing and distribution, and that the circulating material could cause irreversible financial damage. Posts, comments and URLs carrying allegedly false and derogatory content had been spreading since the teaser landed on August 6.

After going through the submissions, the court held that the posts went past fair criticism and could cause irreparable financial and reputational harm, appearing designed to cut into the film's commercial value. It then restrained the defendants from hosting, publishing, transmitting or reproducing the content. Bona fide reviews sit outside the restriction. Similar relief had earlier been granted to the Yash film Toxic, which is why the comparison came up at the press meet in the first place.

Away from the legal story, the box office signals are loud. The film has clocked Rs. 22.69 crore gross in advance sales across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with Rs. 8.64 crore from AP and Rs. 14.05 crore from Telangana. Hyderabad alone accounts for Rs. 11.40 crore. Worldwide advance sales have crossed Rs. 44.09 crore, made up of Rs. 29.17 crore from India and Rs. 14.92 crore from overseas.

The Paradise reunites Nani with director Srikanth Odela after their 2023 hit Dasara, and is produced by SLV Cinemas. Mohan Babu, Kayadu Lohar, Sonali Kulkarni and Raghav Juyal fill out the cast. Premieres are set for September 23 in the Telugu states and North America, with the worldwide release following. Reports also say Nani has kept his promotional push this time to southern cities rather than the Hindi circuit he toured for earlier films.