Whenever director Aanand L. Rai and actor Dhanush team up, you know you're in for something memorable. One key aspect to consider is After hits like Raanjhanaa and Atrangi Re, expectations were sky-high for their latest, Tere Ishk Mein. And boy, has it made an entrance, smashing the box office with a terrific ₹16. 50 crore opening day, making it the biggest Hindi film opening of Dhanush's career. But behind the impressive numbers is a story that has divided audiences and critics, a story described as what happens "when Raanjhanaa and Animal Enter A Toxic Relationship. It's worth noting that "
Key Highlights
- ✓ Dhanush and Kriti Sanon's third collaboration with director Aanand L. Rai is stirring up intense conversations.
- ✓ The film had a massive start, earning ₹16. It's worth noting that 50 crore on its first day at the box office.
- ✓ The plot follows a volatile flight lieutenant, Shankar, who becomes a psychological experiment for a PhD student named Mukti.
- ✓ Critics have called the movie convoluted, overlong, and a "non-surgical strike on wokeness. "
- ✓ Despite a messy narrative, the performances by Dhanush and Kriti Sanon are being hailed as the film's strongest pillar.
The Premise: Love as a Science Experiment
So, what’s the story that’s got everyone talking. We meet Shankar (played by Dhanush), an "outstanding, outrageous, and out of hand” flight lieutenant with some serious anger issues. He’s on the verge of disciplinary action and needs a clean chit from a psychologist to get back in the air during an ongoing war. Enter Mukti (Kriti Sanon), a PhD student with a fascinating, if not ethically questionable, thesis: that male rage can be surgically removed from a person’s psyche, like an appendix.
She sees Shankar as the perfect guinea pig. Mukti begins casually dating him, helping him manage his violent outbursts, but she's crystal clear from the get-go that for her, it’s just work. He can call it love if he wants—anything to get her 2,200-page thesis approved. Predictably, Shankar falls head over heels in love, while she continues to see him as just an experiment. This is where the film finds its intense, charged energy, but it’s also where the narrative, penned by Himanshu Sharma and Neeraj Yadav, starts to unravel.
A Convoluted and Controversial Narrative
Clocking in at nearly three hours, the movie feels overlong, with uneven pacing that jumps between their past and a present wartime setting. From a news perspective, The plot gets bogged down by what feel like side quests: a class divide subplot where Mukti's father (Tota Roy Chowdhury) humiliates Shankar’s father (Prakash Raj), a sudden love triangle, and Mukti’s own battle with alcohol addiction. The writers seem to throw everything at the wall, and not all of it sticks.
The writing is riddled with some pretty glaring inconsistencies. For a PhD-level psychologist, Mukti comes across as oddly manipulative and completely unprepared to handle the intense emotions she knowingly provokes in Shankar. And then there are scenes that just don’t add up. Shankar, a disillusioned lover, casually walks into the home of a Joint Secretary with petrol bombs, and later crashes Mukti's wedding, pouring "holy water" on her from what looks like an acid bottle. The logic is that you can't expect a beast to change its instincts after letting it taste blood, but for many, it's a justification that’s hard to swallow.
The film seems to be a direct response to criticisms of Bollywood masculinity, but it often misses the mark. It’s been called a movie that "needs a restraining order" where violence, male entitlement, and madness are all treated as aesthetics. One of the strangest moments involves a colleague telling Shankar to get a nearly comatose Mukti to sign his clearance form because the air force needs him. It’s these kinds of details that ask the audience to suspend not just disbelief, but all common sense.
Saving Graces: Powerhouse Performances and Haunting Music
Despite the narrative chaos, there’s one thing everyone seems to agree on: the performances are the film’s strongest pillar. Dhanush is absolutely electric as Shankar. He excels as the abrasive, aggressive young man who is simultaneously a passionate lover and a rebellious pilot. His earnestness shines through in every single frame, effectively portraying the character's self-destructive love.
Kriti Sanon delivers a matching high-voltage performance, especially in the second half. She navigates the complexities of Mukti, a character who is both manipulative and, in her own way, tormented. Supporting actors like Priyanshu Painyuli as Shankar’s best friend and Prakash Raj as his father also provide solid, dependable performances. The cinematography by Tushar Kanti Ray also deserves a shout-out for beautifully capturing both the light, romantic moments and the dark, intense ones.
And what about the music. This brings us to It's an A. R. Rahman soundtrack, so you know there are going to be some gems. The music works well in parts, with the theme song “Tere Ishk Mein” and the Sufi track “Deewana Deewana” being absolute standouts. They perfectly capture the film's soul. While another track, the jazz-infused “Jigar Thanda Re,” is atmospheric, it doesn't quite land with the same impact. Still, Rahman's score does a lot of heavy lifting to sell the film's deranged premise.
A Box Office Sensation
Regardless of what critics are saying, audiences are showing up in droves. With advance bookings minting ₹5. 6 crore from 2 lakh tickets sold, the stage was set for a massive opening. The film delivered, raking in a staggering ₹16. 50 crore on its first day alone. This makes it the second biggest opening for a romantic film this year, just behind Saiyaara (₹21. 5 crore). Analysts note that
To put that in perspective, Tere Ishk Mein managed to beat some other huge Bollywood releases of 2025, including Jolly LLB 3 (₹12 crore) and Sitaare Zameen Par (₹10. 70 crore). This is a monumental success for Dhanush, marking his return to Hindi cinema after several years and giving him the biggest opening of his Bollywood career. It's a testament to the star power of the leads and the buzz created by the intense trailer.
Conclusion
So, what's the final verdict on Tere Ishk Mein. It’s a film of extremes. On one hand, you have a messy, convoluted, and often problematic story that is difficult for many to sit through. It glorifies a brand of toxic love that feels out of step with the times. On the other hand, it’s a commercial juggernaut powered by two phenomenal lead performances and a haunting score from A. R. Rahman.
The bottom line is this: if you’re a fan of emotionally charged, intense love dramas and can look past a fragmented narrative, you might find something to appreciate here, especially in the powerhouse acting. Research findings show that For everyone else, the nearly three-hour runtime and controversial themes might just be too much to handle. It's a film that burns itself to a crisp and then asks you to admire the ashes.
