Did you catch the teaser of the much-awaited film ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’? Released on August 29, the romantic comedy stars Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf in the lead roles and has been written and directed by Shashank Khaitan.
While we love the teaser, the 52-second video gave us major Bollywood nostalgia and reminded us of previous Dharma films. Wondering what we are talking about? Read on!
Rohit Saraf is giving major Shah Rukh Khan vibes from ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'. Remember when Rahul Raichand hopped off a helicopter as he landed at the Raichand mansion? Well, Rohit Saraf has a similar scene in ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’, and we cannot help but notice the similarities.
Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'. (Image credit: Dharma Productions)
It’s the kind of grand, larger-than-life moment that defined Karan Johar’s early 2000s era.
Did you notice how the makers have given a subtle nod to ‘Student Of The Year’, another Karan Johar film? In the short teaser, you can spot a scene where Janhvi and Varun’s hands meet and separate. A similar shot was taken for ‘SOTY’, where Varun and Alia have a similar scene in the song ‘Ishq Wala Love.’
Janhvi Kapoor, draped in a shimmering saree, instantly transports viewers back to ‘Dostana’ (2008), where Priyanka Chopra immortalised the “Desi Girl” look in a gold saree that became a pop-culture milestone. In that one shot, the film feels like it’s staking a claim to Dharma’s glamorous lineage.
Janhvi Kapoor in 'Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari'. (Photo credit: Dharma Productions)
And then comes Varun Dhawan and Janhvi’s holi dance scene, a strong reminder of the title track from ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’.
The chemistry, the choreography, and the colour palette scream festive romance — the very mood board Karan Johar has trademarked.
How many of these references did you notice?
The 52-second teaser starts with Varun dressed as Baahubali, but his friend jokes he looks like "Ranveer Singh ki dhoti me Prabhas ka paudha." Varun's character then introduces himself as "sanskari Sunny." The teaser then introduces us to the rest of the characters, Janhvi, Sanaya and Rohit Saraf.
Produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Adar Poonawalla, and Shashank Khaitan, the film is a spiritual successor to the Dulhania films, which featured Alia Bhatt in the lead role opposite Varun Dhawan. Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari also stars Maniesh Paul and Akshay Oberoi in supporting roles. It will release in theatres on October 2.
