
Varun Dhawan is gearing up for his big-screen comeback with ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’, after ‘Baby John’. The film sees him opposite Janhvi Kapoor. The duo had worked together earlier in ‘Bawaal’. It also stars Rohit Saraf, Sanya Malhotra and is directed by Shashank Khaitan. The film’s advance bookings look decent at the moment but there’s still scope for it to get further push. But, while the film may see growth due to positive word of mouth, it’s facing a competition from a huge film like ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’. As per Sacnilk, the advance booking numbers for Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari (SSKTK) are expected to wrap up under the ₹3 crore mark. This means the film will have to depend heavily on spot bookings and walk-in audiences. With its release coinciding with Dussehra and Gandhi Jayanti, however, footfalls are likely to improve through the course of the day. Current estimates suggest an opening in the range of ₹8–10 crore. We just saw that in the era of action and larger-than-life movies working, a romantic film like ‘Saiyaara’ broke all records which has carved a path for romcoms in theatres again. For the longest time after Covid, one had begun to think that romcoms were now only meant for OTT and not for the big screen but ‘Saiyaara’ broke that. On the other hand, Kantara: Chapter 1 (Hindi) is generating far stronger buzz, with opening day projections hovering around ₹12–15 crore in Hindi alone. As per Box Office India, the film’s overall first-day haul could touch ₹20 crore or higher, provided mass belt audiences turn up in large numbers. The Hindi version’s advance sales have already crossed ₹5 crore, outpacing films such as Jolly LLB 3 (₹3.23 crore gross) and Sitaare Zameen Par (₹3.30 crore gross).
Lately, only a handful of rom-coms have managed to kick off with double-digit openings. In 2023, Ranbir Kapoor–Shraddha Kapoor’s Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar and Ranveer Singh–Alia Bhatt’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani both crossed the ₹10 crore mark on day one and eventually delivered strong global collections. With Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, there’s once again a chance for a Bollywood rom-com to breach that double-digit opening mark.