Since the news of Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, the people have been speculating if it is part of the Dulhania franchise and is the third one, with Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt playing lead roles in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania. The rumors kept growing stronger with Varun’s comeback, but fans were confused when Janhvi Kapoor replaced Alia Bhatt as the female lead.
In a recent interview with The Free Press Journal, director Shashank Khaitan dispelled the rumors, announcing that the movie was never intended to be Dulhania 3. He assured that Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari was always a standalone project with its own script and was never written as a sequel to the Dulhania series. Khaitan added that Alia Bhatt was never considered for this film since she had a busy schedule ahead of the next 2–3 years.
Still, Khaitan did mention that he, Varun, and Karan Johar have remained in contact with Alia to talk about other concepts, including discussions on a possible Dulhania film down the line. But the recently concluded film was not included in those discussions.
Arey yeh to asli Baahubali The Epic Ho Gaya… Miliye Varunendra Baahubali aur Janhvisena se… In Cinemas near you! #SunnySanskariKiTulsiKumari #SSKTK #VarunDhawan #JanhviKapoor #BaahubaliTheEpic @Varun_dvn @DharmaMovies pic.twitter.com/YqCSKgGSOI
— Suryakant Dholakhandi (@maadalaadlahere) October 4, 2025
Talking about collaborating with Janhvi Kapoor once more after Bawaal, Khaitan complimented her on how much she has developed as an actor. He mentioned a noticeable difference in her confidence level and presence and said that she has come a long way since Dhadak, which was released at a challenging time in her life after the death of her mom, Sridevi. He further said that Janhvi has become a confident, dedicated actor who can now tackle significantly tougher roles.
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, which saw releases on the big screen on October 2, also features Rohit Saraf and Sanya Malhotra in leading roles.
