Shashank Khaitan’s romantic comedy-drama Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari hit theatres on October 2 with a promising start but has since seen a steep drop in collections. According to trade tracking portal Sacnilk, the film earned ₹9.25 crore on its opening day. However, the momentum didn’t last. On its second day, which also marked its first Friday, the film saw earnings fall to just ₹4.04 crore—less than half of Day 1’s total—bringing the two-day domestic collection to ₹13.29 crore.
The film recorded an overall occupancy of 14.94% on Friday, with only 9.06% turnout in the morning, slightly improving to 17.44% in the afternoon and 18.33% in the evening. Despite the star power and Karan Johar’s backing, the film is trailing far behind the box office juggernaut Kantara Chapter 1, which earned ₹61.85 crore on Day 1 and ₹43.65 crore on Day 2. Kantara Chapter 1 has now amassed a domestic total of ₹105.5 crore.
Directed by Shashank Khaitan, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari features Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles, alongside Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf, Maneish Paul, Akshay Oberoi, and Abhinav. The story revolves around Sunny (Varun Dhawan), whose girlfriend Ananya (Sanya Malhotra) leaves him under family pressure to marry Vikram (Rohit Saraf). Meanwhile, Vikram abandons his fiancée, Tulsi (Janhvi Kapoor). Heartbroken, Sunny and Tulsi join forces to sabotage their exes’ wedding and reclaim their love.
While the premise sounds engaging, critics say the film fails to deliver. As noted in a Hindustan Times review, “The message that love shouldn’t be sacrificed due to family pressure is lost, because the families lack depth or credibility. The script leans too much on romance and forgets character development.”