Was Alia Bhatt 1st offered Janhvi Kapoor's Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari? Film's director Shashank reveals the truth

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari stars Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead role. Varun and Janhvi starred together in Nitesh Tiwari's Bawaal (2023).

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari director Shashank Khaitan has dismissed rumours that actor Alia Bhatt was first offered the film. Speaking with Free Press Journal, Shashank also refuted claims that the film was supposed to be made as Dulhania 3, part of the Dulhania franchise. Shashank had directed both Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014) and Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017). Both of them featured Varun Dhawan and Alia.

Varun Dhawan starred with Alia Bhatt in four films and Janhvi Kapoor in two movies.

Shashank Khaitan spills beans on Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari original cast

Shashank said that the film was “always written as”, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. "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," he said.

Shashank, Varun Dhawan were in talks with Alia Bhatt

The director added that he and Varun were in touch with Alia, discussing ideas to make a Dulhania film. He added, "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."

About Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari stars Varun and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead role. Backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari also stars Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf, Manish Paul, Akshay Oberoi, and others. The film released in theatres on Thursday. The film earned ₹9.25 crore on day one of its release, as per Sacnilk.com.

The movie features Varun and Janhvi as Sunny and Tulsi, respectively, who reunite in Delhi with the intention of rekindling their past romance with their exes. To make their ex-partners jealous, they pretend to be a couple, leading to a series of humorous misunderstandings and deceptions.

About Alia's upcoming films

Fans will see Alia in YRF's Alpha alongside Sharvari. Directed by Shiv Rawail, it also stars Bobby Deol. It is set to release on December 25. Alia is also gearing up for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War with Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal.