Shashank Khaitan’s Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari arrives with a title that immediately reminds one of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety—playful, tongue-twisting, and promising frothy entertainer. Much like Luv Ranjan’s 2018 romcom, Khaitan’s film also thrives on the chaos of relationships set against the backdrop of family, weddings, and music-filled festivities. Yet at its heart, the narrative owes more to Hollywood’s I Want You Back (2022), where jilted lovers team up to sabotage the impending union of their former partners, only to rediscover their own spark.
The story unfolds around Sunny (Varun Dhawan) and Tulsi (Janhvi Kapoor), two lovers whose paths cross when they discover that their respective former partners are about to marry each other. Driven by a mix of nostalgia and wounded pride, they embark on a scheme to derail the wedding and win back what they believe they’ve lost. It’s a premise that’s ripe for both situational comedy and emotional tension, and Khaitan keeps the tone largely light, rarely letting the narrative slip into melodrama.
What works best here are the dialogues. The film is peppered with lines that are unabashedly funny, occasionally even surprisingly sensible, and often sharp enough to catch the audience off guard. Several sequences are staged for outright laughter, and more often than not, they succeed. Maniesh Paul emerges as the surprise package of the film, with a comic timing that elevates predictable stretches into genuinely hilarious moments. Adding to the mix is Bollywood’s trademark wedding spectacle—songs staged amidst rituals and ceremonies—that provides the film with its festive flavour and commercial pull.
That said, the story never quite escapes predictability. From the moment the central plot is set in motion, it becomes fairly easy to guess where Sunny and Tulsi’s journey will end. Khaitan doesn’t attempt to subvert expectations, instead relying on charm, chemistry, and comedy to carry the film through. For some viewers, this may feel like a missed opportunity to dig deeper; for others, it will be precisely the breezy, uncomplicated ride they came looking for.
In the end, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari doesn’t reinvent the romcom wheel, but it doesn’t pretend to either. Think of it as a Bollywood cocktail that borrows the festive chaos of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and the narrative hook of, I Want You Back, shaken up with Khaitan’s flair for witty writing and colourful staging. The result is a film that may be familiar, even formulaic, but remains undeniably entertaining.
Movie: Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf, Maniesh Paul, Akshay Oberoi, Abhinav Sharma
Theatrical Release Date: 2 October 2025
Run time: 2hrs 15mins
OTT Streaming Platform: Netflix
Rating: 3.5/5
