Tere Ishq Mein opens with a promising start. The central idea of a troubled flight lieutenant and a psychologist with a tangled emotional past is quite intriguing. The movie is also strengthened by its solid technical work. The VFX in the movie is fantastic, particularly the aerial leaps with fighter planes that appear frightfully real. A.R. Rahman’s music, although not his most memorable score, still gives the film a polished musical backbone. Then, of course, is Kriti Sanon’s presence on screen, which lights up the frame every time she appears.
However, once the story moves past its initial momentum, the pacing becomes uneven and the narrative turns messy. Kriti’s character, written as a composed, academically sharp psychologist, required a styling that matched her personality and emotional arc, but that is not evident from the dressing (stylist Sukriti Grover please note). Dhanush performs with a lot of dedication emotionally, yet viewers may struggle to understand his Hindi diction and few lines because of the accent. The second half has too many side plots, which thins down the emotional substance to such an extent that it’s stretched way past what the story can comfortably hold.
Despite these issues, there is still a heart in this film that beats with a certain intensity, especially when it explores the themes of obsessive and self-destructive love. The lead performances hold the film together even when the writing wavers, and the emotional ambition of the story shines through in several scenes.
Written by Bhannu Arora