Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari Movie Review: Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor team-up for a banal battle for the exes

There comes a time while watching a film when you just give up on it. The gags feel gaggy, the suspension of disbelief turns into sheer disbelief and you start to look around to ensure that you are not the only one not getting the joke. The humour clock rings a runout alarm quite early in Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf’s mouthful-of-a-title Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. Directed by Shashank Khaitan (Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, 2014; Badrinath Ki Dulhania, 2017), the film is another product from the Dharma bling factory whose packaging is flashier than its contents. Although, you do get everything you expect. Destination wedding vibes? Check. Old songs remixed solely to make them contemporary party anthems? Check. Wardrobe ideas for any incoming marriage functions? Check Check Check.

Directed by: Shashank Khaitan

Written by: Shashank Khaitan and Ishita Moitra

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf and Maniesh Paul

The plot of the movie might sound like a logical riddle. Sunny (Varun) loves Ananya (Sanya), Ananya is going to marry Vikram (Rohit). Tulsi (Janhvi) loves Vikram but he is going to marry Ananya. Sunny and Tulsi team up to break their exes’ marriage. It isn’t exactly a novel setup and the climax can be seen from miles before. A simple plotline offers an opportunity for innovative telling, Sunny Sanskari…, however, takes a straight, unimaginative route. It also jerkily jumps from one narrative thread to another. We have Sunny being dumped by Ananya, next we have Sunny meeting Tulsi and before you know it, they are on their way to the wedding. They reach the venue and for reasons unfathomable are invited to the sangeet event, then to the sundowner and then to the cocktail party. “Let’s invite them to the wedding too!” somebody says, unironically.

The story, often, felt like a filler between dance numbers, of which only ‘Bijuria’--a reimagined version of Sonu Nigam’s 1999 classic--is memorable. The film begins with Varun doing a Baahubali (2015) cosplay and the skit-like comedy continues throughout with everybody dialing it up a notch. The jokes-per-minute are high but the humour feels age-old. Everybody seems to be playing to the masses than playing characters and as a result, Sunny Sanskari… feels less like a film and more like a Kapil Sharma episode.

There are references to other films, other actors, also meta references to the actors in the film but nothing sprouts organically. Sunny Sanskari… oscillates between being half-baked and overcooked. A lot of times I zoned out or got distracted by the designer clothes everybody seems to be wearing. Is that sherwani from Kalki or Manish Malhotra? Is floral a good choice for a mehendi outfit? Why are we getting a close-up shot of this diamond necklace, is this an ad? Why would you eat momos in Udaipur? (That was an ad) What would be the brief for Maniesh Paul’s outfits? Is celebrating Holi one of the ceremonies in this wedding? Why are we getting a flashback of a scene that didn’t happen?

Varun Dhawan is the only one who succumbs to the unfolding brainrot. His Sunny is made from the mold of Humpty and Badri, entitled, dimwit hustlers with a heart of gold. Varun plays the character with blind conviction but his goofy charm can only take us so far. Janhvi’s performance remains patchy. She awkwardly mouths dialogues and only has it together while swaying her midriff. Kudos to Sanya Malhotra for holding on to her own and to Rohit Saraf for not in one scene, where he just screams in frustration. Feel you, bro.

Now, I was not expecting Sunny Sanskari… to be a deep dive into the complexities of love, relationships and family. It’s a Dussehra release and catering to the lowest common denominator was expected. What was also expected was some festive fun, some laugh-out-loud moments, some good old silly Bollywood shenanigans. What we get though is a scene where the whole gang is taken for a jungle safari. Everybody is eager to see a leopard. Janhvi’s Tulsi even makes puppy-eyes at Varun’s Sunny, urging him to get her to see one. Sunny tells Maniesh’s wedding planner Kuku to make sure Tulsi gets to see the big cat. The scene then jumps to a bonfire party, then to a character getting a fish allergy, way further to Sunny paddling in the sea (Wasn’t the film set in Delhi?). But I am still here, waiting for the leopard to show up.