Aanand L Rai Speaks about Similarity in Raanjhana and Tere Ishq Mein

Anand L Rai says that “Tere Ishk Mein,” which stars Dhanush, would be set in the same universe as Raanjhanaa.

Director-producer Anand L Rai is returning to the big screen with his upcoming movie, “Tere Ishk Mein,” ten years after his great smash “Raanjhanaa,” despite the flop he delivered in the Akshay Kumar-starrer “Raksha Bandhan.”

‘Raanjhanaa’ was Tamil actor Dhanush’s Hindi debut, and it was a Hindu-Muslim social drama. As Rai stated in an interview, it is now returning, not with an identical plot but with a similar heartbeat.

Even though he has kept most of the plot’s specifics a secret, Rai told ‘Variety’: “When we were working on the ‘Tere Ishk Mein’ script, we found that we are catching on to the same anger. And as I mentioned, it genuinely belongs in that universe. It falls under the category of tragedy.

Although their tales are different, they have a similar heartbeat. We were experiencing the same emotions as when we were working on Raanjhanaa. Let’s start identifying with that world, I remarked. Though the rest of the film will be shot abroad, “Tere Ishk Mein” will be partially filmed in Varanasi, the same location where Raanjhanaa was also filmed.

A.R. Rahman and Rai will collaborate on the project. The two most recently worked together on the movie “Atrangi Re,” in which Dhanush also acted. The director told ‘Variety’ that he didn’t want to associate his experience working with the music with a script or a narrative.

When I work with a major talent like A.R. Rahman, Rai said, “I want to indulge more because it’s so much learning, and especially when you are going for a love story, you’re talking about something as pure as a man-woman relationship — it’s so beautiful to see him grow with time.”

According to Rai, “Even I’m stopping myself by giving him the song context.” Instead of me telling him that I need something like this, let’s discuss the story as a creative team and see what melodies come in. Let’s investigate “Tere Ishk Mein” from top to bottom.