Filmmaker Aanand L Rai has weighed in on the growing conversation linking his upcoming film Tere Ishk Mein, starring Dhanush, to Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal. Ever since the trailer dropped, social media has been abuzz with comments about the protagonist’s rage-fuelled arc and whether the film echoes the tone of other works exploring toxic masculinity. Aanand, however, is firm that the comparisons are misplaced.
During a conversation with The Hindu, the director said that while viewers may notice surface-level commonalities, they aren’t enough to place both films in the same bracket. “There might be moments where the aggression feels familiar, but that’s just one element. It isn’t the film’s identity,” he explained, adding that Tere Ishk Mein occupies a different emotional space.
Much of the online chatter stemmed from a scene in the trailer where Dhanush storms into a wedding, prompting speculation about yet another ‘alpha’ protagonist. Aanand pushed back on that reading, insisting the character is built on vulnerability rather than machismo. “I never write thinking of someone as an alpha male. To me, he is emotional, he is sensitive, and his actions come from that place,” he said.
Reuniting after Raanjhanaa and Atrangi Re, Dhanush and Aanand L Rai return with a story centred on a volatile young man whose life spirals after heartbreak. The film follows his intense romance with Mukti, played by Kriti Sanon—one that begins with youthful warmth but fractures when she chooses to marry someone else. Consumed by betrayal, he spirals into violence and vows destruction. As his trajectory takes him towards becoming a pilot, she struggles with her own demons, including alcohol dependence.
Tere Ishk Mein, featuring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon together for the first time, arrives in theatres on November 28.
