Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari Movie Review: Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor hold up a formula film that needed more heart

The plot unfolds in Delhi, where we meet Sunny (Varun Dhawan), a cheerful, carefree man whose family runs a jewellery business.

‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari,’ directed by Shashank Khaitan, was released in theatres on 2nd October and stars Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf.

‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ has all the familiar ingredients that have defined a Dharma Productions film over the years. There is family, romance, stunning locations, a gathering of rich people, and colours in abundance. But while the film looks glossy on the surface, it lacks the emotional bite to truly pull viewers in. Varun Dhawan keeps the ship afloat with his infectious energy, but the screenplay lets him down.

Glossy surface, weak core

Technically, it’s not an underwhelming film—there are flashes of charm and comedy—but those moments are scattered and inconsistent. The humour in the opening scenes feels like gags being hurled at a dartboard, hoping some will land, and while a few do, most fall flat. It’s clear that Shashank Khaitan, once a dependable hand at mixing heart and humour, is struggling to ignite that spark.

Love triangle with a twist

The plot unfolds in Delhi, where we meet Sunny (Varun Dhawan), a cheerful, carefree man whose family runs a jewellery business. He is in love with Ananya (Sanya Malhotra) and ready to marry her, but his dreams come crashing down when she refuses his proposal. Soon after, Sunny learns that Ananya is engaged to Vikram (Rohit Saraf), heir to a powerful business family. Determined to sabotage their wedding, Sunny seeks out Tulsi Kumari (Janhvi Kapoor), Vikram’s ex, with whom he shared a twelve-year relationship.

Together, Sunny and Tulsi infiltrate the big fat destination wedding, plotting and charming their way through the ceremonies. But in the process, Sunny begins to fall for Tulsi, and their chemistry builds against the backdrop of extravagant sangeets, a Holi song, and destination wedding activities. The twist arrives when Ananya admits that she agreed to marry Vikram under pressure and confesses her real love is Sunny.

Spectacle over substance

The problem lies not in the premise but in its execution. For a family romance, the film crucially lacks an emotional high point in the climax—there is no scene that stirs tears or lingers in memory. Side characters, often the lifeline of such films, are poorly used; Sunny’s friend Mantu (Abhinav Sharma) is relegated to the margins despite his potential to add humour.

Instead, the film leans too heavily on its checklist: lavish weddings, choreographed dance numbers, designer costumes, and scenic backdrops. These elements are undeniably pretty, but pretty isn’t enough to build a story that resonates. Varun Dhawan shoulders the burden almost single-handedly, but without a strong script, his effort feels like a patch over the cracks. What the film gains in spectacle, it loses in heart. The bhaang sequence aims for comedy, but it collapses.

Performances outshine the writing

Varun Dhawan, to his credit, is in solid form. He embraces the Delhi boy charm with ease and slips comfortably between comic timing and earnestness. The role gave him room to flex his versatility, but the absence of meaningful emotional beats in the finale denies him that chance. Janhvi Kapoor, as Tulsi Kumari, looks the part and delivers with honesty, but her character remains underwritten.

Sanya Malhotra, as Ananya, adds meat to the plot but little else; her presence is overshadowed by how thinly she’s written. Rohit Saraf, playing Vikram, is serviceable but nothing more. Maniesh Paul as the wedding planner occasionally provides laughs, though his act wavers between sharp and overcooked. Ultimately, the cast works harder than the screenplay allows, leaving performances that shine briefly but don’t leave an impression.

Also read: Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari locks runtime at 2 hours 15 mins, bags U/A certificate

A timepass entertainer, nothing more

At its core, ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ is a glossy family romance designed to entertain in passing. It will make you smile in spurts and perhaps chuckle at its lighter moments, but it never aspires to be more than a safe, formulaic rom-com. For audiences looking for depth, originality, or memorable storytelling, the film offers little.

For those happy with song-and-dance escapism, it plays like harmless filler on a weekend evening. That, perhaps, is both its strength and its undoing—it entertains just enough, without ever leaving you with something to take home. Bollywood’s wedding rom-com template desperately needs reinvention.Rating: 3/5