Why Tere Ishk Mein Director Aanand Rai Is Charged With Rs 84 Crore Lawsuit For Raanjhanaa | Explained

Aanand

L Rai and Eros International Media have been at loggerheads for the longest time. After the filmmaker accused the studio of re-releasing the Tamil version of Raanjhanaa with an AI-altered ending, the latter has now filed a Rs 84 crore lawsuit against him for illegally cashing in on the Dhanush-Sonam Kapoor romantic drama’s goodwill during the promotions of Tere Ishk Mein. Eros has alleged trademark infringement and copyright infringement in a commercial IP suit and a related interim application. The studio claimed that Aanand and his production house Colour Yellow Productions projected Tere Ishk Mein as the ‘spiritual sequel’ to Raanjhanaa without seeking permission.

Why Eros filed Rs 84 crore lawsuit against Aanand L Rai?

Raanjhanaa was produced by Eros. According to ETimes’ report, the studio named multiple parties in the suit apart from Aanand and his production. The defendants also include Super Cassettes Industries (T-Series), writer Himanshu Sharma, and Netflix Entertainment Services India LLP. In the trademark battle, Eros said in the complaint that the studio is the "exclusive owner of all intellectual property rights" in Raanjhanaa, including copyright, trademarks, characters, dialogues, and sequel and remake rights. The lawsuit mentioned, "The Plaintiff is the producer and exclusive owner of all intellectual property rights in the highly successful Hindi language film 'Raanjhanaa', including without limitation... copyright, registered trademark rights in 'Raanjhanaa', character rights including in 'Kundan Shankar' and 'Murari', and remake, prequel and sequel rights."

Eros International Media further pointed out that Colour Yellow Productions used hashtags like 'World Of Raanjhanaa' in the promotional material for Tere Ishk Mein. One of the major allegations included Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub’s cameo as Murari in the Dhanush-Kriti Sanon film. The lawsuit mentioned, “Murari, portrayed by Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, in both films, is a sharp-witted friend whose perspective adds conscience to the plot... The Respondents' unauthorised reproduction and commercial exploitation of these characters... constitute a clear violation of the Applicant's exclusive rights." Eros further claimed that after a cease-and-desist notice dated July 25, 2025, was issued, some references were removed from the promotional assets, but the film still had its roots connected to Raanjhanaa.

Eros vs Raanjhanaa makers

In July 2025, when Aanand, the director of Raanjhanaa, criticised Eros for re-releasing the film with an AI-altered climax, the studio’s CEO Pradeep Dwivedi told Zoom, "These remarks are not only factually incorrect and misleading, but appear to be a deliberate negative PR stunt designed to distract public and industry attention from serious and ongoing legal matters concerning Mr. Rai and Colour Yellow Productions Pvt. Ltd. We view Mr. Rai’s public outburst, especially timed just days after these disclosures, as a conscious attempt to shift focus away from the legal and governance issues he currently faces. It is unfortunate that a filmmaker of his stature would attempt to conflate legal accountability with creative victimhood. It would be best if Mr. Rai respectfully acknowledged the ownership of IP as per law of the land and his written undertakings, rather than use media unfairly as a platform to promote himself and thrive on unwarranted sensationalism."

Aanand wrote a note on Instagram that read, “To watch Raanjhanaa, a film born out of care, conflict, collaboration, and creative risk, be altered, repackaged, and re-released without my knowledge or consent has been nothing short of devastating. What makes it worse is the complete ease and casualness with which it’s been done.”Tere Ishk Mein, said to be a spiritual sequel of Raanjhanaa, featured Dhanush as Shankar and Kriti Sanon as Mukti. The film released theatrically on November 28, 2025.