Tere Ishk Mein Takes a Strong Start at the Box Office
The much-anticipated romantic musical drama Tere Ishk Mein has made an impressive entry into cinemas across India. Directed by Aanand L. Rai and featuring the popular pairing of Dhanush and Kriti Sanon, the film hit theatres on November 28, 2025. Backed by significant pre-release excitement and the star power of its leads, the film has successfully drawn audiences, posting commendable numbers in its initial run.
Breaking Down the Box Office Numbers
The film enjoyed a powerful opening day, registering an excellent ₹16 crore net in India. This figure marks one of the strongest first-day performances for a romantic film this year, placing it just behind 'Saiyaara' in the genre's rankings. More notably, this opening represents the biggest Hindi opening of Dhanush's career, surpassing his previous Bollywood projects.
Early estimates for the second day, Saturday, indicate a collection of approximately ₹10.38 crore net, as reported by trade site Sacnilk. This brings the total two-day domestic net collection to ₹26.38 crore. While the opening day was exceptionally strong, the figures from Saturday show a noticeable dip, indicating a mixed trend that the film will need to address in the coming days.
Audience Response and Regional Variations
The film's performance has not been uniform across the country, revealing interesting patterns in audience engagement. On Saturday, the occupancy for the Hindi 2D version showed clear fluctuations. It began at 12.08% in the morning shows, climbed to a more robust 26.60% in the afternoon, and saw a marginal increase to 29.25% in the evening before dropping for the night shows.
A regional analysis of the audience turnout highlights strong pockets of support. Chennai led the way with a high occupancy rate of 44%, followed by Bengaluru at 34% and Pune at 30%. However, the film faced challenges in certain markets, with cities like Surat recording a much lower occupancy of just 8.33%. This irregular pattern suggests the film has a strong but uneven national footprint, performing exceptionally well in metropolitan and southern regions while facing hurdles in parts of north and west India.
More About the Film and Its Legacy
Tere Ishk Mein is a standalone spin-off to the beloved 2013 film Raanjhanaa, reuniting director Aanand L. Rai with actor Dhanush after their previous success. The narrative follows Shankar, who falls deeply in love with Mukti, played by Kriti Sanon, while she is conducting research on him. Their relationship ends abruptly when she leaves him. Years later, Shankar, now an Air Force pilot, is forced to confront her again, with the story exploring the emotional chasm between their past and present.
The film boasts a stellar technical crew. The music is composed by the legendary A. R. Rahman, whose soulful compositions, particularly the single 'Usey Kehna', have been widely praised for their emotional depth. The cinematography is handled by Tushar Kanti Ray, and the editing by Hemal Kothari.
Production for the film began in October 2024 and involved shooting in diverse locations including Delhi, Benaras, Leh, and Mumbai before wrapping up in July 2025. A key moment in the film's promotional campaign was the live musical launch event in Mumbai, where A. R. Rahman performed alongside Dhanush. This event generated substantial buzz on social media, significantly boosting pre-release momentum.
The Road Ahead
While the film has secured a robust opening, its future box office trajectory will heavily depend on word-of-mouth and its ability to stabilise collections after the initial weekend. Critical reception has been moderately positive, with reviewers highlighting the compelling performances of Dhanush and Kriti Sanon and the brilliance of Rahman's score, though some have pointed out that the narrative treads on familiar romantic ground.
Looking beyond its theatrical run, Tere Ishk Mein is expected to stream on Netflix after its cinematic window, likely within four to eight weeks. This OTT release is anticipated to broaden the film's audience, particularly among younger viewers and fans of the original Raanjhanaa.
For now, the film's impressive opening remains its key achievement. The coming days will be crucial in determining whether Tere Ishk Mein can leverage its strong music, star appeal, and emotional depth to maintain momentum, or if the inconsistent occupancy patterns will define its box office journey.
