‘Dude at least try to sound a bit realistic’: Kriti Sanon’s ‘2,200-page PhD thesis’ scene in Tere Ishk Mein triggers meme fest

A brief scene from Tere Ishk Mein has unexpectedly become the centre of an online debate, with PhD scholars and social media users pointing out the obvious academic error. The Aanand L Rai-directed film, starring Kriti Sanon and Dhanush, released on Netflix on January 23, a few months after its release in theaters.

The scene that sparked the backlash

The contentious moment is of Kriti Sanon’s character, Mukti Beniwal, who is depicted as a research scholar in psychology, saying that she has already submitted her 2,200-page PhD thesis. This particular dialogue has become a point of contention for research scholars, who know that even a 300-page thesis is a significant academic milestone.

For research scholars, even completing a 300-page thesis is considered a demanding academic milestone. Screenshots of the scene have gone viral, and memes have been flooding social media platforms, especially X.

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Scholars call out cinematic exaggeration

Several PhD students highlighted that most universities enforce strict word and page limits, making a 2,200-page submission virtually unfeasible. Many felt the portrayal oversimplified and distorted the realities of academic research, reducing years of rigorous work into an exaggerated plot point.

One user wrote, “I would genuinely like to meet this PhD student who writes a 2200-page thesis! I know movies take cinematic liberty, but LMAO dude at least try to sound a bit realistic!!”

Another questioned, “Wondering how much research went into that.”

A user wrote, “"I watched this film recently because usually I enjoy L. Rai's messed-up characters, but goodness, the research was difficult to sit through. Some consultation from a PhD student or professor during script writing would have saved that fiasco.”

“2200 pages is crazy, i had to pay a nerd guy from my class to make mine with 60 days of s** and he only made me a 90-pager for my undergraduate”, commented another.

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Research as a plot device

In the film, Mukti chooses Shankar Gurukkal (Dhanush’s character) as the subject of her research, a man grappling with his anger and the urge to lash out. The film attempts to mix a romance with an academic tone, but the students felt that the research angle was more of a plot device than a serious theme to be explored

Box office performance remains strong

Despite the online backlash, Tere Ishk Mein performed well at the box office. The film was made on a budget of Rs 85 crore and went on to earn Rs 148.5 crore worldwide. It was touted as a spiritual sequel to Raanjhanaa, a romantic drama directed by Aanand L Rai in 2013 that also starred Dhanush.