Shankar (Dhanush) is a rebellious young student living in a tenement with his loving father (Prakash Raj). Prone to violence—often justified in his mind as being for social or socialist causes—he remains haunted by the memory of his mother, who died protecting him from a fire. While chasing someone he intends to beat up, Shankar storms into a college auditorium where Mukti (Kriti Sanon), a Psychology student, is presenting her massive 2,200-page thesis on how human violence can be completely controlled. Mukti confronts him fearlessly, and for Shankar, it’s love at first touch when he grabs her hand, assuming she’s about to slap him.
Mukti soon decides to make him the subject of her research, making it clear that her involvement is purely professional. The next half hour blends amusing moments with some absurd situations, such as the burnt bus sequence, giving the impression that the film might at least offer light entertainment. However, the plot quickly spirals into bewildering twists involving their respective fathers, her fiancé, and a cryptic priest (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) in Benares. The professors evaluating Mukti are depicted as surprisingly inept, yet they award her a doctorate. She then travels abroad for further studies and, improbably for her age, is appointed head counsellor in the Armed Forces—another classic filmi coincidence. Meanwhile, Shankar has become a pilot in the Indian Air Force, a brilliant yet still defiant aviator, carrying both his unresolved love and inner turmoil. All in all, the storytelling often feels scattered and while the filmmaker tries to add in a lot of emotional depth, they don’t really tug at the heartstrings.
Dhanush is back at it once again with what he does best - reinvent, redefine, lead from the front, and serve a masterclass in intense performance! Emotion is his superpower and he knows it, and that’s exactly what he taps into with Tere Ishk Mein, a highly anticipated reunion of Dhanush and director Aanand L Rai (Raanjhanaa).
Tere Ishk Mein perfectly weaves powerful emotions of love, betrayal and vengeance - and Dhanush defines it all with his striking understanding of the genre, something that the audiences have seen it before in Raanjhanaa! He leads from the front by returning in his most intense avatar yet. You know him as an intense Kundan from Raanjhanaa, and now he comes back even stronger as Shankar, taking the intensity of love, rage and ferocity to unapologetic levels. The actor slips into his role with the same ferocity that made Kundan unforgettable. His brilliance in Raanjhanaa made him the right fit for Tere Ishk Mein, placing him as the only performer who could disappear into the conflicts of Shankar, and justify it with his brilliant acting range.
Known as pan-Indian cinema's most fearless performer, Dhanush's on-screen work like Raanjhanaa, Idli Kadai, Kuberaa and Tere Ishk Mein highlights his strong hold on subtle acting, where his expressions and his understanding of the role are enough to communicate the character’s turmoil. His understanding of Shankar makes him go full heroic mode in Tere Ishk Mein, where he channels pain and fury with striking conviction. His facial expressions alone convey the character’s inner chaos, making it one of his most powerful performances of recent times! Kriti as Mukti is particularly remarkable in the emotionally heavier moments. There’s a newfound maturity in her craft, which gets reflected in Tere Ishq Mein too after Do Patti. She holds her ground, sometimes with a controlled stillness and sometimes calibrated for impact. Either way, she’s solid. Kriti and Dhanush share a palpable chemistry and grasp the complexities of their characters with aplomb.