Mumbai: The long running dispute between filmmaker Aanand L Rai and Eros International has flared up once again. After their public fallout last year over the AI altered re release of Raanjhanaa, the two sides are now locked in a fresh legal battle. The struggle this time is over the 2025 movie Tere Ishk Mein, featuring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon.
Eros International Media has filed a commercial intellectual property suit in the Bombay High Court, accusing Aanand L Rai and his production house Colour Yellow Media Entertainment LLP of trademark infringement and copyright violation. The suit also names T Series, writer Himanshu Sharma and OTT platform Netflix as respondents in the case.
Eros claims spiritual sequel tag was used without consent
According to reports, Eros has demanded Rs 84 crore in damages, alleging that Tere Ishk Mein was deliberately projected as a spiritual sequel to the 2013 hit Raanjhanaa without any permission. Eros in its petition has affirmed that it is the producer and the sole owner of all intellectual property rights to Raanjhanaa. These are copyright, title as a registered trademark, rights to the character like Kundan Shankar and Murari and all sequel, prequel and remake rights.
The studio has claimed that these rights were misused during the promotion and positioning of Tere Ishk Mein. The announcement video of the film, which contained the phrase “From the world of Raanjhanaa” was one of the main reasons leading to the lawsuit. Eros has stated that this made a great connection between the two films and proposed a follow up to the previous story.
Eros has further alleged that the teaser of Tere Ishk Mein used footage, background score and music from Raanjhanaa.Eros has also claimed that the teaser of Tere Ishk Mein had used footage, background score and music of Raanjhanaa. According to the suit, such use still amounts to unauthorised exploitation of the original film’s identity and recall value.
Character similarities and cease and desist notice
Another major point raised in the case relates to character similarities. Eros has pointed out that Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub appears in both films in a role that is strikingly similar. In Raanjhanaa, he played Murari, a sharp witted friend whose moral perspective adds depth to the story. The suit asserts that his characterization in Tere Ishk Mein reagents the identical qualities and role in the story adding up to unlicensed reproduction and trading of a protected character.
The petition also alleges that the lead character Shankar in Tere Ishk Mein closely resembles Raanjhanaa’s protagonist Kundan. Eros has argued that both characters follow similar emotional journeys, share comparable themes and reflect an overall narrative arc that is too close for comfort.
As per the filing, Eros had issued a cease and desist notice to the makers on July 25, 2025, followed by reminder communications in September. After this, references to Raanjhanaa were removed from the film’s promotional material. Nevertheless, it was alleged by Eros that it still observed large amounts of copyright and trademark infringements upon viewing Tere Ishk Mein. The studio has also claimed that the movie remained to be placed and regarded as a spiritual sequel even after the promotions were changed.
About Tere Ishk Mein
Tere Ishk Mein is a Hindi romantic drama released in 2025, directed by Aanand L Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma. The film stars Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles, marking their collaboration with the filmmaker known for intense love stories rooted in emotion and small town sensibilities. Backed by Colour Yellow Media Entertainment along with T Series, the film explores themes of love, obsession and emotional conflict. Tere Ishk Mein premiered in cinemas and was subsequently available on Netflix, not only receiving praise due to its performances and music but also being seen as associated to Raanjhanaa, which now stands at the core of a significant legal dispute.
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