Kriti Sanon presenting 2200-page PhD thesis in Tere Ishk Mein has research scholars in splits: ‘Try to sound realistic’

Kriti Sanon and Dhanush’s Tere Ishk Mein has became a talking point on social media, with research scholars questioning the film’s academic authenticity.

Actors Kriti Sanon and Dhanush’s Tere Ishk Mein, which started streaming on Netflix earlier this month, has unexpectedly found itself at the centre of a social media storm. A brief scene featuring Kriti Sanon has left research scholars across the country amused, with many taking to social media to poke fun at the film’s portrayal of academia.

Tere Ishk Mein was released in November last year.

Tere Ishk Mein sparks backlash

The buzz revolves around a scene in which Kriti’s character, Mukti Beniwal, a psychology research scholar at a college in Delhi University, claims to have submitted a 2,200-page thesis, a detail that many viewers have flagged as unrealistic.

After its release on Netflix, the scene became a talking point on social media, with research students taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share memes, jokes, and pointed critiques questioning the film’s academic authenticity.

Screenshot of the scene from the film.

"I would genuinely like to meet this PhD student who writes a 2200-page thesis! I know movies take cinematic liberty, but LMAO dude at least try to sound a bit realistic!! #AcademicChatter,” one wrote, with another quipping, “Almost everything said and done in this film in the name of a PhD is a joke. I laughed out loud... I was immensely passionate about my research topic, absolutely loved and enjoyed the whole research process, but writing the thesis was still so hard—one of the hardest things I have ever done. I wrote every day, every single day for four years, to produce my 385-page PhD thesis. 2,200 pages is just so unbelievably ridiculous."

Another comment read, “As a PhD student, I will never get over this”, with one mentioning, “Man, as a PhD student, this part knocked me out. (As did the whole movie, tbh.) Even though I am in science, I could see how ludicrous it all was. Like, WTF was the idea, and how did the committee even pass it so she moved to defense? Don't they know there are stages to approval?"

“It will be outright rejected by your guide for being too long,” one social media user said. “Sir you think PhD thesis of 2200 pages was unbelievable then watch the movie. Upsc aspirant becomes pilot and hero dies to save someone's else child,” one posted.

About Tere Ishk Mein

Aanand L Rai’s romantic drama Tere Ishk Mein, starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in lead roles, was released in theatres in November 2025. The film opened to mixed reviews. Aanand L Rai directed the film from a screenplay written by Himanshu Sharma and Neeraj Yadav. It is produced by Aanand, Himanshu Sharma, Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under Colour Yellow Productions and T-Series Films. The film was touted to be a spiritual sequel to Aanand and Dhanush’s 2013 hit Raanjhanaa. AR Rahman composed music for the film, which made over ₹161 crore at the box office.

The film also ran into legal trouble. Aanand 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.