Dhanush reveals director told him he has the ‘perfect love failure face’: ‘That day I went back ’
Director Aanand L Rai calls Dhanush the ‘perfect love failure face’ as the actor talks about taking on challenging roles like Kundan in Raanjhanaa and Shankar in Tere Ishk Mein.
Tamil star Dhanush will soon be seen with Kriti Sanon in Aanand L Rai’s new film Tere Ishk Mein. This marks the first time the two actors are working together. The filmmaker and Dhanush have previously collaborated on Raanjhanaa (2013) and Atrangi Re (2021), both known for their emotional storytelling. During a recent press conference in Delhi, Dhanush spoke about why he chooses intense and challenging roles like Kundan in Raanjhanaa and Shankar in Tere Ishk Mein.
The actor explained that director Aanand L Rai’s films may appear simple from the outside, but the characters are difficult to portray. He said, “Aanand calls me for these kinds of films. I asked him, Why do you keep calling me? He looked at my face.” According to Zoom Tv, Kriti Sanon helped translate the question and explained, “You have the face of a heartbroken man.” Dhanush shared that either Kriti or Aanand told him he has a “great love failure face.”
The Tere Ishk Mein star added that the comment made him think. “That day I went back, and I kept looking at my face. What is it about me that… I took it as a compliment,” he said.
Why are roles like Kundan and Shankar so tricky?
Dhanush shared that playing characters like Kundan requires careful balance. “Raanjhanaa especially looks simple, but it’s not. It’s a very complicated part to play; a little bit that way or this way, and you may end up not liking Kundan,” he explained. He added that the role needed “a lot of precaution, a lot of practice, homework” because it was very tricky to create.
He said Shankar in Tere Ishq Mein also comes with challenges. “Shankar is very easy to like, but he has his own challenges, which I can’t say much about now,” the actor noted.
Here’s what drives Dhanush to pick such roles
According to Dhanush, the complexity of such characters is what motivates him. He said that when an actor reads a script with these kinds of challenges, they feel excited to take it on and see it as an opportunity to do something meaningful. He explained that roles like these require more than just memorising lines and going in front of the camera; they demand effort and preparation. He added that such scripts are rare and that the appeal of these roles lies in their challenges, not in aggression.
Tere Ishk Mein, also featuring Prakash Raj, releases in theatres on November 28. The film’s music has been composed by AR Rahman, adding to the buzz around the romance drama.