Kriti Sanon's '2,200-Page Thesis' Scene In Tere Ishk Mein Sparks Meme-Fest, PhD Scholars & Netizens Call It 'Nonsensical Movie'

Tere Ishk Mein, the Aanand L Rai-directed film and starring Kriti Sanon and Dhanush, which began streaming on Netflix on January 23 after its theatrical release last November, became a trending topic on social media. Research students called out a scene they found wildly unrealistic. The moment in question shows Kriti's character, Mukti Beniwal - a psychology research scholar - claiming she submitted a 2,200-page PhD thesis.

For many doctoral candidates, the line proved to be meme gold. PhD students across the country flooded social media platforms, especially X, with sarcastic reactions, pointing out that even completing a 300-page thesis is considered an exhausting academic marathon.

Several joked that cinematic liberty had crossed into fantasy, with some quipping that the film had turned years of academic struggle into an unintentional comedy.

As screenshots of the scene circulated, memes comparing real-life research stress to the film’s portrayal went viral. Scholars stated that most universities have strict word and page limits, making the idea of a 2,200-page submission almost impossible. Many felt the portrayal diluted the realities of academic research.

In Tere Ishk Mein, Kriti’s Mukti selects Dhanush’s character, Shankar Gurukkal, who struggles with anger and behavioural issues, as her research subject. While the film attempts to blend romance with an academic backdrop, students argued that it failed to capture the challenges, ethics and intensity of real-world research. The academic angle, they said, felt more like a plot device than a thoughtfully explored theme.

Netizens react

Reacting to the scene, a 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 wrote, "Wondering how much research went into that."

"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," read another reaction on X.

"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 😭," read another comment.

Here's how others reacted:

The film, however, fared well commercially. Made on a reported budget of Rs 85 crore, Tere Ishk Mein earned approximately Rs 148.5 crore at the box office. It was marketed as a spiritual sequel to Rai’s 2013 romantic drama Raanjhanaa, which starred Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor.

Published on: Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 05:19 PM IST