Shashank Khaitan's Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari has hit the big screens today (October 2, 2025). The film stars Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Rohit Saraf, and Sanya Malhotra in the lead roles. The movie has received positive reviews from the critics and the audience.
The Free Press Journal recently interacted with Shashank and spoke to him about the casting of the film, Dulhania 3, and more...
We have seen Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor together in Bawaal, which was a very different romantic film. So, what made you cast them together in this film?
I think Varun was a bit of an obvious choice with the kind of work we have done together, and also the genre of the film. Also, in this particular case, the idea of the movie actually came from Varun. So, it would have been quite a backstabbing act if I had taken that entire story and not made it with him. But jokes apart, he's someone who's my go-to guy for most things I do in life, and I think he was obvious. When it came to Janhvi, I've known Janhvi; I launched her in Dhadak. I kind of knew of her comic side and this commercial side, and also the fact that not much of it had been explored on screen. So, I really took this opportunity to kind of create that for her, and I was really happy when they came along.
You launched Janhvi Kapoor in Dhadak, and now, you're working with her after so many years again. What improvement have you seen in her?
I think the biggest difference has been her personal confidence and her confidence as an actor. I think at the time when Dhadak was being made and released, she was battling a very sad personal tragedy (Sridevi's demise), and I think that kind of put her in a bit of a shell. I felt she was unable to express herself as an actor as well as a person. But now, seven years later, when I see her, I find her to be a very secure and very confident person, and she's kind of taken everything in her stride; her life, her tragedies, her criticism, and her love for her work. Now, I find her a more confident individual and an actor, and that's really exciting as a director because now I can throw far more challenging stuff at her and know that she is going to come through with it.
When a movie is being made or is about to be released, we read a lot of rumours about it. With Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, we have been reading that this was supposed to be made as Dulhania 3 and was offered to Alia Bhatt. So, are the rumours true?
Alia was never offered this film, and this film was never supposed to be Dulhania (franchise). It was always written as Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. I know Alia, and at the time when I was writing the film, I was very aware that she was not free for the next 2-3 years because of her work schedules. So I, Varun, and Karan had been in touch with Alia on multiple other occasions, discussing different ideas, sometimes ideas to make a Dulhania, but this was never it. This was always Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, and I'm excited about it because it's also a bit of a different; it's pretty much in a similar universe, but it's a bit of a different film, and I'm excited about how people are going to pursue it or see it.
As a journalist, I read a lot of things on social media, and there's a different level of craze for Varia (Varun & Alia). So, do you plan to make Dulhania 3 soon?
I would love to. I don't think so either, any one of us, whether it's Karan, Alia, Varun, or me, who are not excited about the possibility of doing it. It's just that the correct story needs to come into fruition, and we all need to believe in it and give so much of our time and lives to it. I think we keep discussing it, we are always looking at an opportunity, but I think it will only materialize when we are all excited about that opportunity in equal measure.
