Tere Ishk Mein Movie Review: Dhanush and Kriti Sanon shine in this intense but inconsistent love drama
Story: Shankar (Dhanush) is an “outstanding, outrageous, and out of hand” flight lieutenant facing disciplinary action, whose mental state must be assessed and cleared by a counsellor before he can fly during an ongoing war. The psychologist assigned to him is Mukti (Kriti Sanon), with whom he shares a complicated past marked by intense love, what derailed it, and how meeting again shapes what comes next.Review: Director Aanand L Rai’s film begins with an interesting premise: that violence can be permanently eliminated from a person through the right psychological interventions. What follows is Mukti casually dating Shankar and helping him manage his violent outbursts. However, she’s clear from the outset that it’s just work for her, and Shankar can treat it as love if it suits him — anything to get her thesis approved. The narrative shifts when Shankar falls hopelessly in love with her, while she continues to see him only as an experiment. From here, the film achieves the charged tonality it’s being marketed for, but writers Himanshu Sharma and Neeraj Yadav’s story soon becomes fragmented and convoluted. The plot moves between the present wartime setting and their past and frequently turns dramatic with the class divide, Mukti’s father (Tota Roy Chowdhury) humiliating Shankar’s father (Prakash Raj), and several such side quests.At a little under three hours, the movie feels overlong, and the pacing remains uneven across many portions. The writing is also riddled with inconsistencies and contradictions. For a psychologist with a PhD, Mukti is oddly manipulative and unable to handle Shankar’s intense emotions, despite repeatedly insisting she knows exactly how to deal with him. A disillusioned and aggressive lover casually walking into an IAS and Joint Secretary’s home with petrol bombs and what relatives assume is acid simply doesn’t add up. There is also a random sequence featuring a pandit (Zeeshan Ayub Mohammad) punning on Lord Shiva and “mukti”, which appears completely out of place and without context. A love triangle and Mukti’s alcohol addiction in the second half further add to the convoluted plot.The film does, however, have some powerful moments, and Shankar’s self-destructive love is portrayed effectively. Lord Shiva’s association with fire is symbolically woven throughout, beginning with references to it in Shankar’s childhood. Cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray captures the lighter stretches of the first half and the heightened intensity of the second with considerable finesse. A.R. Rahman’s music works in parts — the theme song “Tere Ishk Mein” and the Sufi track “Deewana Deewana” are striking, while the jazz-laced “Jigar Thanda Re” is atmospheric but not entirely impactful.Performances remain the film’s strongest pillar. Dhanush excels as the abrasive, aggressive young man — a passionate lover and rebellious pilot — with his earnestness shining through in every frame. Kriti Sanon matches him with a high-voltage performance, especially in the latter half. Priyanshu Painyuli as Shankar’s best friend and Prakash Raj as his father deliver solid support, as does Tota Roy Chowdhury.The film may appeal to those who enjoy emotionally charged love dramas. For others, the runtime and narrative may take away from what could have been a more compelling experience.
