Tere Ishk Mein movie review: Dhanush, Aanand L Rai do UNO reverse of Raanjhanaa, with Kriti Sanon's convincing sinister act, but...

Director: Aanand L Rai

Star cast: Dhanush, Kriti Sanon, Prakash Raj, Priyanshu Painyuli

Runtime: 2hr 49mins

Where to watch: In cinemas

Rating: 3 stars 

Flight lieutenant Shankar Gurukkal (Dhanush), an angry, stubborn, tough guy with serious trust issues, is suspended from flying and is recommended for counselling. Soon, he comes across Mukti Behniwal (Kriti Sanon), an Indian defence councillor, and their moist eyes reflect the pain and suffering they have been through the years. Mukti and Shankar have a history, and how it affects their present and shapes their future is the basic crux of the film. 

Back in 2013, Aanand L Rai directed a rooted romantic drama, Raanjhanaa, which went on to become a smash hit and a modern-day classic in romantic films. However, Raanjhanaa also faced strong criticism. Tere Ishk Mein is a reply to all those nitpicking bashers. Ever imagined what would have happened if Kundan from Raanjhanaa had survived, and decided to move on from Zoya (Sonam Kapoor)? Tere Ishk Mein has the essence of that second chance Kundan deserved. Anand shifts his narrative from Benaras to Delhi. His characters are shown as more mature, complex, and shrewd. 

Tere Ishk Mein is a spiritual successor to the 2013 hit (in a literal sense). How? I'll drop a hint later, but despite a strong plot, earnest performances from the primary cast, and good music, Tere Ishk Mein fails to live up to the king-size expectations you have from these names (Dhanush, Rai, AR Rahman, Irshad Kamil). Tere Ishk Mein could have been the next classic in romantic dramas, but it missed out and became average fare. 

When you have the hit team that delivered an iconic film, the expectations are sky-high. I got disappointed when the movie ended, because of my anticipation. The film has a decent first half and an over-dramatic second half. However, the actors made sure to give their 100%. Dhanush does it again. His transition from a hopelessly romantic boy to a stone-hearted air force officer is worth applauding, thanks to his performance. He reminds you of Kundan on several occasions, but also surprises with his no-nonsense, angry-young-man avatar. 

Kriti Sanon, the girl, always leaps forward with her every performance. This time, she will earn hate, thanks to her selfish, mean, and confused character, who can use a guy, play with his feelings, and treat him as a lab rat for her own means. Kriti does a splendid job, but after one point, her character won't make sense. Prakash Raj is a delight to watch. He plays Shankar's father and delivers the movie's best moments. Literally, the first time I felt emotional was in the sequence of Prakash Raj and Dhanush. Priyanshu Painyuli also offers good support throughout the film. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub makes a surprise cameo, which is one of the film's highlights. Zeeshan Ayyub reprises his role from Raanjhanaa, and leaves an unexpected, satisfactory feeling in the climax. 

Now let's jot down the shortcomings. The primary reason why Tere Ishk Mein falters is the sloppy editing. At many points, the movie feels dragged, a never-ending affair, without proper closure. The first half itself looks slow-moving with a few interesting moments. The second biggest drawback of the film is the sheer absence of logic. Logic was tossed out the window throughout the second half. I do watch movies with the benefit of the doubt. I'm okay with believing that the girl dumped a guy and decided to move on. But then, years later, she returns to his life, impregnated with the child of another man, and asks Shankar to look after her baby. There are several other sequences where logic seems absent, but none surpass the sequence I mentioned above. After a point, I gave up on the logic and was waiting to see how the movie would conclude. Dialogues are good at some places, flat at many. Aanand's direction looks haywire, especially in the second half. There is an unsaid pattern of Rai. When he goes ambitious, he loses the plot, and the whole narrative suffers. 

Overall, Tere Ishk Mein is strictly a one-time watch for Dhanush and Aanand's fans. Don't go in with too many expectations, and you might cry out on Shankar-Mukti's love saga.