Argus News - Did 'Tere Ishk Mein' Copy 'Raanjhanaa'? Eros Drags Aanand L. Rai to Court

Mumbai, Jan 17: Eros International Media Ltd. has initiated legal proceedings against filmmaker Aanand L. Rai and his production company, Colour Yellow Media Entertainment LLP, filing an ₹84 crore lawsuit in the Bombay High Court.

The dispute centers on the promotion of Rai’s upcoming film Tere Ishk Mein. Rai publicly described the project as a “spiritual sequel” to the 2013 blockbuster Raanjhanaa, a film produced by Eros.

Eros contends that this description falsely implies an official link between the two films. The company argues that Rai’s statements exploit the popularity and brand value of Raanjhanaa without authorization, potentially misleading audiences and diminishing the original film’s market worth.

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By framing Tere Ishk Mein as connected to Raanjhanaa, Eros claims Rai has unfairly leveraged the goodwill of the earlier hit, creating confusion among viewers and damaging the integrity of its intellectual property.

The lawsuit claims Rai did not have the rights to use or reference Raanjhanaa in this way, and it asks the court to decide on the matter and award compensation. 

Tere Ishk Mein stars Dhanush and Kriti Sanon. It is directed by Aanand L. Rai and released in late 2025.

It further states that the teaser even used footage, background score, and music from Raanjhanaa, despite Eros not owning the music rights anymore.

One of the strongest allegations is about the use of the same actor, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, playing a similar character in both films. The complaint says, “Murari, portrayed by Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub in both films, is a sharp-witted friend whose perspective adds conscience to the plot. The respondents’ unauthorized reproduction and commercial exploitation of these characters… constitute a clear violation of the applicant’s exclusive rights.”

Eros also claims that the lead character played by Dhanush in Tere Ishk Mein — named Shankar —mirrors Raanjhanaa’s Kundan Shankar, along with similar emotional arcs, dialogues, and themes.

A major trigger for the lawsuit was the teaser of Tere Ishk Mein that appeared online in July 2025. Eros says it found that the teaser used phrases like “From the world of Raanjhanaa” and hashtags such as “#WorldOfRaanjhanaa.”

The case is now pending in court. Eros has named multiple parties in the suit — apart from Aanand L. Rai and the Colour Yellow Media Entertainment LLP, the defendants also include Super Cassettes Industries (T-Series), writer Himanshu Sharma, and Netflix Entertainment Services India LLP, making it a multi-party copyright and trademark battle over Raanjhanaa and Tere Ishk Mein.

Compiled by: Aditi Majhi