Two Heartbroken People, One Wedding Plan

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari starts with a simple, painful setup. Sunny, played by Varun Dhawan, is a sweet, middle class man who is head over heels for Ananya, played by Sanya Malhotra. Ananya calls their two year relationship a situationship, breaks up with him, and gets engaged to Vikram, played by Rohit Saraf. Sunny refuses to accept that ending. At the same time, Tulsi, played by Janhvi Kapoor, is Vikram's former partner, a schoolteacher who was left after twelve years because she was not seen as suitable for his family. Sunny and Tulsi team up, pretend to be a couple, and crash the lavish Udaipur wedding to make their exes jealous. That plan, as you can guess, does not stay a plan for long.
Director Shashank Khaitan, known for Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, directs the film for Dharma Productions. The cast also includes Maniesh Paul, Akshay Oberoi, and others, and the film runs about 2 hours and 15 minutes with a U/A certificate. It released on October 2, 2025, timed for Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra holidays, a slot meant for family audiences. The premise is classic Khaitan. Take a familiar rom-com shape, add a wedding, add exes, and let the leads learn that the person they were chasing was not the person they needed. Varun plays Sunny with high energy and comic timing, while Janhvi plays Tulsi with charm that grows as the film goes on, according to several reviews.

A Tough Clash With Kantara Chapter 1

The film's theatrical run was shaped by its clash. It opened against Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1, which went on to become a blockbuster with about Rs 851 crore worldwide, according to Sacnilk figures cited in later reporting. Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari earned about Rs 98.35 crore worldwide in that same reporting, a total that looks modest next to Kantara, but that still shows a family audience turned up. The film was described in later reporting as failing to impress at the box office, and it faced tough competition from the start. That clash is a reminder that release dates matter as much as content. A rom-com can be well made and still lose screens to a pan India blockbuster in its opening weeks.
Critics were kinder than the box office. Several reviews gave the film 3.5 stars, praising Varun's return to form in romantic comedy and the film's second half, where the four way love tangle pays off with twists that feel emotionally satisfying. Janhvi's performance was described as uneven at first, then stronger as Tulsi finds her footing. That split is fair to note. A rom-com lives or dies on its leads together, and this film's chemistry reportedly blossoms as the story progresses. The climax, where Sunny must choose between winning back Ananya and admitting what he feels for Tulsi, is where many reviewers said the film earns its heart. It is not a perfect film, but it is a warm one, and warmth counts in this genre.

Netflix, Music, And The Second Audience

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari moved to Netflix on November 27, 2025, according to later reporting, giving it a second audience at home. That streaming window is where many rom-coms now find their real life. Viewers who skipped it in cinemas because of Kantara could watch it on a weekend, share clips, and discover the songs. Music played a large part in the film's afterlife. Tracks like Bijuria, composed by Tanishk Bagchi and Ravi Pawar and sung by Sonu Nigam and Asees Kaur, became part of the film's identity, with dance numbers and wedding sequences that fit the Udaipur setting. A rom-com with good music can live on playlists long after its theatrical run ends, and this film's songs helped it do that.
The film also kept its leads in conversation beyond release. Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor later appeared together on Koffee With Karan season 9, which premiered on JioHotstar on October 14, 2026, in the show's final season. Varun recalled Janhvi getting her makeup done while half asleep during double shifts for Sunny Sanskari, a story that fans shared widely. That anecdote, small as it is, shows how a film's shoot becomes part of its public story. Janhvi and Varun had already worked together on Bawaal in 2023, and their comfort together shows on screen in Sunny Sanskari, even when the script asks them to play strangers faking a relationship.

Why It Still Works As A Weekend Watch

If you want a light, family friendly rom-com, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari is an easy weekend pick. It does not ask you to follow a complex plot. It asks you to root for two people who start by trying to win back their exes and end by realising they were looking in the wrong place. The Udaipur wedding setting gives it colour, the supporting cast gives it laughs, and Varun's comic energy gives it pace. Janhvi's Tulsi, a teacher who was dismissed as not suitable, gives it a quiet point about how families judge women, a point the film makes without turning preachy. That balance, fun first and feeling second, is what Khaitan does best.
Watch it for Varun's timing, for the wedding chaos, and for the moment Sunny and Tulsi stop pretending. You may not call it a classic, but you may find yourself smiling at the end, and that is enough for a rom-com. In a year where many Hindi films were either heavy war dramas or large action films, a bright romance about second chances had a clear place. It did not win its opening weekend, but it found a home on streaming, and for many viewers, that second home is where it will be remembered.

Sources and reporting

  1. NewsBytes — 2025-11-22 · Verifies October 2 2025 release, Netflix date, Kantara clash, and Rs 98.35 crore worldwide
  2. Economic Times — 2026-10-29 · Verifies Koffee With Karan 9 appearance, Bawaal pairing, and makeup anecdote
  3. NewsPoint — 2025-10-02 · Verifies director, cast, 3.5 star review tone, and plot setup