Director Aanand L Rai is not shying away from discussing the buzz around his upcoming film Tere Ishk Mein, starring Dhanush, being compared to Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal.
While he acknowledges that there might be some similarities in how the characters have aggression and rage, he is quick to clarify that Tere Ishk Mein “doesn’t belong in the same space”.
Aanand L Rai on Animal comparison
Since the trailer’s release, viewers have been quick to draw parallels between Dhanush’s intense character arc and other films that delve into toxic masculinity, including Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal and Kabir Singh. The filmmaker discussed the comparison during an interview with The Hindu.
“It doesn’t belong in the same space. There are similarities in how the characters have aggression and rage. But those are just the ingredients and not the story,” he stated.
A moment in the trailer where Dhanush barges into a wedding, ready to wreak havoc, fuelled conversations about him embodying yet another ‘alpha male’ persona. Responding to the chatter, Aanand stressed that the character isn’t shaped by clichés or stereotypes.
“A story is never conceived thinking of your character as an alpha. For me, the character is emotional and sensitive, and nothing that he does is wrong,” he added.
About Tere Ishk Mein
The romantic drama film reunites Dhanush with director Aanand L Rai after Raanjhanaa and Atrangi Re. Also starring Kriti Sanon, the film tells the story of an angry and violent young man, played by Dhanush, who falls in love with a woman named Mukti. Their romance blossoms in college corridors and over bike rides, but she soon changes her mind about him, choosing another man to marry. Jilted, he becomes vengeful and pledges to burn ‘entire Delhi’ to ashes for his broken heart. He becomes a pilot in the midst of all this mess, and she takes to the bottle.
Tere Ishk Mein will be released in theatres on November 28. This is Dhanush and Kriti’s first movie together.