Tere Ishk Mein row: Eros sues Aanand L Rai over Raanjhanaa rights

MUMBAI: Eros International Media Ltd has moved the Bombay high court against filmmaker Aanand L Rai and his production banner Colour Yellow Media Entertainment LLP, alleging unauthorised exploitation of the intellectual property of its 2013 blockbuster Raanjhanaa in the promotion and release of the 2025 film Tere Ishk Mein.

The studio is seeking damages of Rs 84 crore, claiming losses arising from what it describes as unlawful capitalisation on Raanjhanaa’s goodwill. According to a report in The Times of India, Eros has filed a commercial intellectual property suit along with an interim application, alleging trademark infringement, copyright infringement and passing off.

Eros contends that Tere Ishk Mein was deliberately marketed as a “spiritual sequel” to Raanjhanaa without authorisation. The suit names Aanand L Rai, Colour Yellow Media Entertainment LLP and Colour Yellow Productions, along with Super Cassettes Industries (T-Series), writer Himanshu Sharma and Netflix Entertainment Services India LLP, turning the dispute into a multi-party legal battle.

In its filing, Eros asserts that it is the producer and exclusive owner of all intellectual property rights in Raanjhanaa, including copyright, registered trademark rights, character rights in Kundan Shankar and Murari, and remake, prequel and sequel rights. The company alleges these rights were exploited while promoting Tere Ishk Mein, which released theatrically on November 28, 2025.

The legal action was triggered by a teaser released online in July 2025, which Eros claims used phrases such as “From the world of Raanjhanaa” and hashtags including #WorldOfRaanjhanaa. The interim application further alleges unauthorised use of footage, background score and music from Raanjhanaa, despite Eros no longer holding the film’s music rights.

Directed by Aanand L Rai, Tere Ishk Mein stars Dhanush, Kriti Sanon, Priyanshu Painyuli, Prakash Raj and Tota Roy Chowdhury. Neither Eros nor the defendants have issued an official statement so far.