'Tere Ishk Mein' faces legal action as Eros International claims Rs 84 crore over Raanjhanaa infringement

Eros International has approached the Bombay High Court seeking Rs 84 crore in damages, alleging that filmmaker Aanand L Rai and his production house, Colour Yellow Media Entertainment LLP, misused the goodwill of the 2013 hit Raanjhanaa. The dispute centers on the 2025 film Tere Ishk Mein, starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon, which Eros claims was promoted as a “spiritual sequel” to Raanjhanaa without its consent.

In its commercial intellectual property suit, Eros has accused Rai, Colour Yellow Media, Super Cassettes Industries (T-Series), writer Himanshu Sharma, and Netflix Entertainment Services India LLP of trademark and copyright infringement. The company stated that it holds exclusive rights over Raanjhanaa, including copyright, registered trademark rights, and character rights, as well as remake, prequel, and sequel rights.

“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,” the suit stated, according to Times Entertainment.

A significant focus of the case is on the characters Kundan Shankar and Murari. Eros claims that Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub’s role in Tere Ishk Mein mirrors his character from Raanjhanaa, potentially constituting unauthorised reproduction and commercial exploitation. “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,” the suit stated.

Eros also alleged that Tere Ishk Mein was deliberately marketed to suggest a connection with Raanjhanaa. Promotional phrases such as “From the World of Raanjhanaa” were cited as examples of the alleged misuse. The company said it issued a cease-and-desist notice on 25 July 2025 and followed up with reminders in September. While some references were briefly removed, Eros claimed that strong similarities remained when the film released on 28 November 2025.

The case highlights the challenges of protecting intellectual property in Bollywood, where successful films often inspire spiritual sequels or similar storylines. The Bombay High Court will now examine whether Tere Ishk Mein infringed on Eros’s rights and if the damages claimed are justified.

Eros is seeking both financial compensation and legal remedies to prevent further alleged misuse of the Raanjhanaa brand and its associated characters.