Filmmaker Aanand L Rai has always been admired for the emotional honesty he brings to his stories and the candid way he examines his own creative journey. As he gears up for the release of Tere Ishk Mein starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon, arriving in cinemas in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on 28 November 2025, Rai reflects on how his voice has evolved and the inner compass that keeps him grounded.
Over the years, his understanding of characters and relationships has shifted, and he acknowledges that change openly. “I think if I am evolving, I should try to have my audience evolve with me. I will never be scared of telling an old story in a new way. I think the man–woman relationship was not depicted as an equal one for a long time. That is my learning. Shayad main Tanu Weds Manu ya Raanjhanaa ke waqt iss tarike se nahi sochta tha, lekin ab sochta hoon.”
Rai also speaks about the weight of success and how it began influencing the way he told stories. “My self-education is that when I was telling stories fearlessly, and at the same time, main apne pe kabhi successful film ka pressure nahi le raha tha, sirf kahani sunane ka pressure le raha tha tab tak meri duniya theek thi. Jab mujhe laga ki there are these growing expectations from this director, and I should go bigger, I started faltering.”
For him, the way back has always been through reconnecting with who he is and where he comes from. “Staying connected is very important. Meri zameen chhoot jaati hai, phir mujhe pakadna padta hai, phir mai apne penthouse mein chala jaata hoon, phir mujhe yaad dilana padta hai apne ko – Tu woh Dilli ka ladka hai, teri aadhi zindagi unn peele gharon mein guzri hai. Teri apni kahaniyan woh hain. Tu soch kyun nahi raha hai!”
As ‘Tere Ishk Mein’ heads toward release, Rai’s reflections point to a filmmaker returning to stories that feel honest to him, driven by empathy, clarity, and a renewed sense of balance.
Gulshan Kumar, T-Series, and Colour Yellow present ‘Tere Ishk Mein‘, produced by Aanand L Rai and Himanshu Sharma, produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar. The film directed by Aanand L Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma and Neeraj Yadav, is an A.R. Rahman musical with lyrics by Irshad Kamil. Starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon, the film is scheduled to release worldwide in Hindi and Tamil on 28th November 2025.
