Aanand L Rai has finally broken his silence on the legal dispute about his latest release, Tere Ishk Mein.

Interestingly, the 54-year-old director has been named in a ₹84 crore intellectual property lawsuit filed by Eros International Media Ltd.

Speaking to NDTV, the filmmaker brushed off the controversy, calling such disputes a routine part of the film business. 

“These are part of life. When you step into business, such things keep happening,” he said.

He added, he was surprised by the lawsuit and has chosen to leave the matter to the legal teams. 

“I don’t even know why or how this has come up. It’s a legal issue, so the lawyers will deal with it from both sides,” he stated.

Furthermore, he remarked, “Anyone can say anything at any time. It’s not something to be taken too seriously. Since it’s a legal matter, I won’t comment much on it.”

Based on the latest findings of Mid-day, Eros has accused the Tanu Weds Manu director and his production house, Colour Yellow Media Entertainment LLP, of unauthorised use of Raanjhanaa’s intellectual property while promoting Tere Ishk Mein.

The company claims it owns exclusive rights to the 2013 film, including its characters, dialogues, and sequel or remake rights.

The lawsuit alleges that Tere Ishk Mein was positioned as being connected to Raanjhanaa. 

The Eros pointed out similarities such as Dhanush’s character being named Shankar similar to his role as Kundan Shankar in the earlier film and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub playing a character named Murari in both projects.

The company has also objected to promotional material that used phrases like “From the world of Raanjhanaa,” calling it unauthorised and misleading. 

Following the film’s theatrical release, Eros has demanded ₹84 crore in damages for copyright infringement, trademark violation, and passing off.

Notably, the film featured Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles, with Prakash Raj in a key part, and went on to earn over ₹161 crore at the box office and is currently streaming on Netflix.