Tere Ishk Mein ending explained: How Dhanush as Shankar's self-destruction redeemed his toxic love for Kriti Sanon as Mukti

Tere Ishk Mein is a tragic love story where Lt. Shankar crashes his jet, a final selfless sacrifice for his troubled, dying love, Mukti, and her unborn child.

Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in Tere Ishk Mein

Tere Ishk Mein is a spiritual sequel to Aanand L. Rai's Raanjhanaa and ends with a tragic series of events that further explore the themes of damaging obsession, love, and ultimate sacrifice. Rather than a satisfying conclusion, the film ends on a terrible cliffhanger that implies the characters' physical and emotional deaths—Dhanush's Shankar Gurrukkal and Kriti Sanon's Mukti Behniwal.

Reunion in Leh

Leh, Ladakh, is home to an Indian Air Force (IAF) base, where the film's present-day events come to a close. Shankar, a flight lieutenant, and Mukti, a behavioural psychologist who is pregnant and emotionally damaged, are suddenly reconnected seven years after their turbulent college romance and subsequent separation. Shankar is approached by Mukti, who is in a precarious pregnancy and has liver cirrhosis, pretending to be Shankar's mandated therapist to avoid disciplinary penalty for an unapproved sortie.

An impending military action is at the heart of the climax's central tension. The skilled but disobedient pilot, Shankar, needs his counsellor's approval before he can join the battle. As a navy officer, Mukti's husband, Jasjeet (Paramvir Cheema), is currently serving in the combat zone. Mukti, consumed by raw desperation, refuses to sign the papers, confessing her deep, unresolved love for Shankar.

ALSO READ: Tere Ishk Mein review: Aanand L Rai's fiery spiritual 'Raanjhanaa' sequel traps Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in a saga mistaking obsession for epic romance

Mukti's motivations

Her sad fears of her husband's death in the war and her own impending death after giving birth are the root causes of her hesitancy. What matters most to Mukti is that Shankar stays alive so he can nurture her child. In this instant, the depth of Mukti's inner turmoil becomes apparent; she is not merely a woman who has moved on; rather, she is a woman who has made harmful decisions for herself and now views Shankar as the one trustworthy person who can fill her shoes.

To get Mukti to sign, Shankar offers to either return himself or make sure her husband, Jasjeet, is safe so their child will have a father figure. This is because he is stuck between his life, his military duty, and Mukti's last wish. Importantly, Shankar is effectively taking on the unattainable task of ensuring Mukti's future, which he can only accomplish by giving up his own.

Shankar's final, fatal mission

As soon as he signs the paperwork, Shankar takes off in his fighter plane for the combat zone. In the last seconds, he deliberately ignores the ground crew's repeated commands to jump. Shankar, who should have been putting himself first, deliberately destroys an enemy ship by crashing his fighter plane into it, triggering a tremendous explosion.

The film then goes to Mukti in the hospital, where she is probably dying from her sickness or the risks of her dangerous pregnancy. The conclusion is quite symbolic and open to interpretation.

Shankar's sacrifice

Shankar's intransigence in ejecting and the subsequent catastrophic crash provide compelling evidence of his demise. This is the last, nonviolent sacrifice she will do for Mukti and her child because she loves them and wants them to be safe. He turns his impulsive fury into a heroic, if ultimately destructive, act of self-defence, fulfilling the promise of his passionate, all-consuming love.

The general public tends to believe that Mukti passes away in the hospital while Shankar is crashed, based on the film's tragic tone and the director's previous work. It is implied that the two main characters attain a beautiful, united death—a last union that was unattainable during their lives. The search results make it clear that Mukti's demise is quite probable, fitting for a "poetic note" finale in which they part ways as one.

Shankar's transformation

The film follows the principal character arc of Shankar as he goes from being a controversial college student whose love turned into a poisonous obsession to becoming a selfless war hero. Years ago, Mukti's father had challenged him to pass the UPSC Prelims to redirect his destructive energy in a positive direction. This channelling culminates in Shankar's final act of crashing his jet. This action is not an act of aggression motivated by possession or vengeance; rather, it is a selfless sacrifice made to ensure the safety of the woman he loves and her child. This attempt to atone for the problematic nature of his love through national and personal martyrdom stands in stark contrast to the earlier poison.

As the credits roll, we see Jasjeet, Mukti's husband, standing aboard his Navy ship, taking in the explosion. In stark contrast to Shankar's impending demise, he manages to stay alive and fulfil Mukti's second condition of Shankar's agreement with her—that the child's father would live to raise him. This result establishes Shankar's demise as an essential condition for Mukti's last, hopeless wish to come true.

Mukti's self-destructive choices

Using Shankar as a test subject and then marrying a man she didn't love are just two examples of Mukti's emotionally problematic and self-destructive choices as a psychology scholar. She finally accepts her actual feelings when she confronts and confesses to Shankar in their last meeting. She wants him to survive so he can support her son. Some see her passing alongside Shankar's as a spiritual reunification with her soulmate and a last, terrible release from the repercussions of her decisions.

Deep, permanent sorrow is the final chord that Tere Ishk Mein plays. Although the finale leaves room for interpretation in terms of specific specifics (the exact time of Mukti's death is hinted at rather than shown), the conclusion about the themes is clear. At the end of his journey, Shankar transforms his poisonous passion into a last act of sacrifice by committing an ultimate, selfless act of violence against himself and the opponent. Death offers both characters a way out of a tragic and unfulfilling relationship, reinforcing the film's reputation as a tumultuous storm of intense emotions, centred on the devastating consequences of wild, passionate love. Not only does the last explosion signal the end of a military operation, but it also explodes a love affair that was certain to fizzle out.

FAQs:

Q: Is Tere Ishk Mein a sequel to Raanjhanaa?

A: Tere Ishk Mein is considered a "spiritual sequel" to the 2013 film Raanjhanaa also directed by Aanand L. Rai and starring Dhanush. It is not a direct continuation of the story, but it explores similar themes of intense, obsessive, and destructive love, set in the same emotional universe but with new characters and a new storyline.

Q: Who are the lead actors in Tere Ishk Mein?

A: The film stars Dhanush as the intensely passionate and violent student-turned-Air Force officer, Shankar Gurrukkal, and Kriti Sanon as Mukti Behniwal, the behavioral psychologist who chooses Shankar as the subject of her PhD research.

Q: Who directed Tere Ishk Mein?

A: Tere Ishk Mein was directed by Aanand L. Rai, who is known for successful romantic dramas like Raanjhanaa and the Tanu Weds Manu franchise.

Q: Who composed the music for the film?

A: The music for Tere Ishk Mein was composed by A. R. Rahman, marking his third collaboration with director Aanand L. Rai and actor Dhanush after Raanjhanaa and Atrangi Re.

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