Aanand L Rai reacts to Eros' ₹84 crore lawsuit over projecting Tere Ishk Mein as Raanjhanaa's ‘spiritual sequel’

Aanand L Rai responded to Eros International's ₹84 crore lawsuit over Tere Ishk Mein, claiming such disputes are common in the film industry.

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai has finally reacted to the legal storm surrounding his latest film Tere Ishk Mein. The director has been named in a commercial intellectual property lawsuit filed by Eros International Media Ltd, which has sought ₹84 crore in damages over alleged violations linked to Raanjhanaa. Addressing the controversy, Aanand L Rai said such disputes are an inevitable part of doing business in the film industry.

Kriti Sanon and Dhanush had a working Holi on the sets of Tere Ishk Mein with Aanand L Rai.

Aanand L Rai on ₹84 crore lawsuit

In an interview with NDTV, Aanand L Rai responded to Eros’ ₹84 crore lawsuit and said, “These are part of life. When you step into business, such things keep happening. I don’t even know why, how, or from where this has come. But I think it is a legal matter, so let the legal people handle it. There is a lawyer on their side, and a lawyer from here will respond too.”

He added, “I don’t think it has any meaning. Anyone can say anything about anything at any time. So it’s not something to be taken too seriously. It’s more for the lawyers to deal with. Since it’s a legal matter, I won’t speak much about it, but it’s nothing serious.”

About the lawsuit

According to a report in mid-day, Eros International Media Ltd has alleged that Aanand L Rai and his production house, Colour Yellow Media Entertainment LLP, unlawfully used the intellectual property rights of Raanjhanaa while promoting Tere Ishk Mein, which released in theatres in November 2025. Eros claims it holds exclusive rights over Raanjhanaa, including copyrights, registered trademarks, characters, dialogues, and sequel or remake rights, and has accused the makers of suggesting a connection between the two films.

Following the film’s release, the company has sought ₹84 crore in damages for alleged copyright infringement, trademark violation and passing off. In its suit, Eros pointed out that Dhanush’s character in Tere Ishk Mein is named Shankar, similar to Raanjhanaa’s Kundan Shankar, and that Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub plays a character named Murari in both films. The company also noted that the teaser included phrases such as ‘From the world of Raanjhanaa’, which it claims amounted to unauthorised use.

About Tere Ishk Mein

Written by Himanshu Sharma and Neeraj Yadav and directed by Aanand L Rai, the film is touted as a spiritual sequel to Aanand and Dhanush’s 2013 hit Raanjhanaa. Apart from Dhanush in the lead role, the film also stars Kriti Sanon as the female lead, along with Prakash Raj in a key role. The film earned over ₹161 crore at the box office and is now available to stream on Netflix.