Tere Ishq Mein Review: A Dark, Intense Love Story

by Arti · 29 November 2025

When I walked into the theatre for Tere Ishq Mein, I expected a nostalgic echo of Raanjhanaa. Instead, the film pulled me into a more intense, darker, and emotionally chaotic world. Aanand L. Rai clearly wanted to escalate every emotion from his earlier romance universe—love, longing, anger, obsession, regret—and blend them into a single explosive story. After watching it, I walked out with mixed feelings: admiration for its craft and frustration with its narrative choices. Let me break down everything I experienced.

🎭 Performances That Hit Hard

Dhanush as Shankar – 4.5/5

The moment Dhanush appeared, he carried the film like a storm. I felt his desperation, rage, and helplessness in every frame. His body language slammed into me—restless eyes, unpredictable impulses, sudden tenderness. He switches between vulnerability and fury without warning, and that unpredictability becomes the core of the film.

Kriti Sanon as Mukti – 4/5

Kriti surprised me with how deeply she threw herself into the role. Her face often said more than her dialogues. She portrayed Mukti as a woman caught between affection, fear, and self-preservation. Her emotional breakdown scenes felt painfully real. The chemistry between her and Dhanush doesn’t feel cute—it feels dangerous, consuming, and raw.

Together, they create a relationship that breathes, bleeds, and claws at its own walls. Their performances stay with you even when the story falters.

🎬 Direction, Story & Pacing

Aanand L. Rai leans into heightened drama. He doesn’t flirt with intensity—he embraces it completely. When I watched the first half, I felt drawn into the world effortlessly. The story unfolds with energy, color, and atmosphere. The flashbacks, alleyway scenes, festival moments, and intimate conversations flow beautifully.

But once the second half starts, the narrative begins to wobble.

The emotional rhythm turns uneven.
Certain scenes stretch longer than necessary.
Some conflicts escalate too quickly without enough buildup.
The message around obsessive love becomes confusing.

I found myself pulled in and pushed out repeatedly. Rai clearly wants to portray a dark, destructive romance, but he occasionally glamorizes it more than he should. That contradiction becomes noticeable.

Still, despite the flaws, I admired how boldly he tells the story. He doesn’t dilute the madness of love, even if that madness unsettles you.

Direction Rating: 3.5/5

Great emotional moments, but inconsistent storytelling in the second half.

🎵 A.R. Rahman’s Music – The Film’s Soul

Rahman’s soundtrack elevates the film enormously. I felt the music carry scenes that would have otherwise fallen flat. The way the score blends pain, longing, and chaos gives the film its heartbeat.

Romantic scenes glow because of the softness in Rahman’s compositions.
Confrontation scenes hit harder because the background score tightens the tension.
The songs stay in your mind long after the film ends.

Arijit Singh’s tracks especially deepen the emotional pull.

Music Rating: 5/5

Pure magic. Rahman never disappoints.

🎥 Visuals & Technical Craft

The cinematography impressed me consistently. The camera captures Benaras with a gritty, living pulse—narrow lanes, temple bells, reflections on the Ganga—all soaked in color and emotion. The Leh portions look surreal, almost dreamlike.

The production design and sound work add layers to the world. The chaos feels real, the silence feels heavy, and the colors feel intentional. I noticed several scenes where the lighting alone intensified the emotional weight.

Visual & Technical Rating: 4/5

❤️ Themes That Hit… and Themes That Hurt

While watching the film, I realized the central question isn’t what happens between Shankar and Mukti—it’s what love does to them.

The film dives straight into:

toxic masculinity
obsessive love
sacrifice as self-destruction
guilt
emotional manipulation
the illusion of destiny

Some scenes make you ask tough questions, while others blur the moral line too heavily. At times, the movie critiques the toxicity. But in a few moments, the film glorifies obsession in ways that feel troubling.

This imbalance makes the experience powerful but also uncomfortable. I walked out appreciating the ambition but unsure about the message it ultimately delivers.

Theme Execution Rating: 3/5

📰 Latest Updates & Box Office Snapshot

The film released 28 November 2025 across 5,000+ screens in multiple languages.
It scored a very strong opening for a romance-drama with around ₹16 crore on Day 1 in India.
Trade analysts tagged it as one of Dhanush’s biggest Hindi openings of the year.
Reviews from critics remain mixed—praise for performances, music, and intensity; criticism for problematic romance portrayal and second-half looseness.
Audience reactions lean more positive, especially among fans of high-emotion, dramatic love stories.

The film currently stands as one of 2025’s most debated romantic dramas.

🙋‍♂️ My Personal Viewing Experience

Throughout the movie, I found myself fully absorbed during the first half. The chemistry, the setting, the music—it all pulled me in. Dhanush’s performance hooked me, and Kriti’s emotional depth balanced the narrative.

But as the story progressed, I started questioning the direction. I didn’t mind the darkness or emotional extremity, but I felt the film didn’t justify some of its choices well. The pacing dragged. A few scenes tried too hard to be intense rather than allowing the intensity to arise naturally.

Still, I never felt bored. The emotional highs work beautifully, and the artistic ambition deserves recognition. This is not a light romance—it’s a heavy, complicated, morally tangled story.

And when the final sequence arrived, I felt the film wanted to shock me more than satisfy me. It succeeds emotionally, but it stumbles logically.

⭐ Final Ratings

Overall Rating: 3.8/5

Breakdown:

Acting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5)
Music: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Direction: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5)
Visuals: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Story & Themes: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

📌 Final Verdict

Tere Ishq Mein gives you powerful performances, unforgettable music, visually rich storytelling, and enough emotional fire to leave you thinking for days. It also gives you uneven writing, ethically messy themes, and a second half that struggles to keep its footing.

If you enjoy intense, high-drama love stories that burn instead of bloom, the film delivers. If you prefer subtle, grounded romance, the film pushes too far.

But one thing is certain—after watching it, you won’t forget it.

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