In 2013, Aanand L. Rai’s film Raajhanna won hearts across India. The love story of Kundan and Zoya, set against the vibrant lanes of Varanasi, became an emotional classic. Even a decade later, its songs, dialogues, and heartbreak remain unforgettable. While fans kept asking for a sequel, the director repeatedly denied making one—but promised to deliver another intense love story instead.

That promise arrived on 28 November, with the release of Rai’s new film Tere Ishq Mein, featuring Dhanush as Shankar and Kriti Sanon as Mukti. Although the film is not a sequel to Raajhanna, the nostalgia and hype around Dhanush returning in a similar intense-lover avatar pushed expectations sky-high.

Tere Ishq Mein vs. Raanjhanaa
The two films differ completely in story and treatment. Raajhanna was an old-school, one-sided love story drenched in innocence, emotion, and tragedy. Tere Ishq Mein explores a more mature world of love, passion, anger, obsession, and conflict.

Viewers appreciated the chemistry between Shankar and Mukti, but many fans still insist: “Nothing can match Kundan and Zoya.”

Their box office journeys also look very different.

Box Office Performance
There is nearly a decade separating the releases, so the box office environment is also very different. According to early estimates by Sacnilk:

• Raajhanna opened with around ₹5 crore on Day 1.
The film didn’t start big, but strong word of mouth turned it into a cult favourite within days.

• Tere Ishq Mein capitalised on the popularity of both Dhanush and the Raajhanna legacy, earning over ₹15 crore on its first day.
The higher opening indicates the excitement among fans, even though the films are not connected.

While Raajhanna grew slowly and steadily into a phenomenon, Tere Ishq Mein has benefited from high initial buzz. Time will tell how the new film performs over the weekend and whether it finds the same emotional connect that made Raajhanna immortal.