Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari Faces Day 2 Dip Amid Kantara’s Blockbuster Run

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, the much-anticipated romantic comedy directed by Shashank Khaitan and starring Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf, has encountered a challenging second day at the box office. Following a respectable opening of Rs 9.25 crore on Thursday, the film's collections dipped to Rs 5.25 crore on Friday, according to early estimates from Sacnilk. This brings the two-day nett total to Rs 14.5 crore, signaling a moderate performance that falls short of the high expectations set by the star-studded cast and the director's track record with light-hearted entertainers. The decline, which represents a roughly 43% drop from the opening day, underscores the film's struggle to maintain momentum in a crowded theatrical landscape.

Occupancy figures paint a picture of uneven audience reception across the day and regions. The film registered an average Hindi occupancy of 18.01% nationwide on Friday, with morning shows kicking off sluggishly at 9.06%, gradually picking up to 17.44% in the afternoon and 18.33% in the evening before a slight uptick to 27.20% in night screenings. This progressive improvement suggests that word-of-mouth may be playing a role in evening draws, though the overall turnout remains subdued. Regionally, Delhi-NCR led in terms of show counts with 744 screenings but disappointed with a mere 16.75% occupancy, possibly due to urban audience preferences shifting elsewhere. Mumbai, hosting 547 shows, performed marginally better at 21.5%, indicating stronger appeal in the film's home market, yet still highlighting broader challenges in captivating prime demographics like families and young couples during prime weekend slots.

When stacked against the recent outings of its leads, *Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari* occupies a middling position, neither replicating highs nor plunging to new lows. Varun Dhawan's preceding action thriller *Baby John* suffered a more precipitous fall, collecting just Rs 4.75 crore on its second day after a Rs 11 crore opener, ultimately marking one of his weaker performers amid production delays and mixed reviews. In contrast, Janhvi Kapoor's last release, the drama *Param Sundari*, bucked the trend with growth on Day 2, amassing Rs 9.25 crore to push its two-day tally to Rs 16.5 crore, buoyed by positive critical acclaim and her evolving versatility beyond commercial fare. These comparisons reveal a film caught in transition: leveraging Dhawan's mass appeal while aspiring to Kapoor's nuanced draw, yet hampered by a narrative that critics have called formulaic in an era demanding fresh storytelling.

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Shashank Khaitan's directorial history adds further context to the film's tempered trajectory. His 2017 collaboration with Varun Dhawan, *Badrinath Ki Dulhania*, exemplified box office alchemy, surging to Rs 14.72 crore on its second day en route to a Rs 200 crore-plus lifetime haul, thanks to its blend of humor, romance, and social commentary. Even the ensemble misfire *Kalank* in 2019, widely panned for its overambitious scope, managed Rs 11.45 crore on Day 2, outperforming the current release despite its eventual commercial flop status. Khaitan's signature style—rooted in small-town sensibilities and family dynamics—has historically resonated, but *Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari* appears to be testing those boundaries, with early reviews praising the chemistry between Dhawan and Kapoor but critiquing pacing and predictability.

Compounding these internal factors is the external shadow of *Kantara Chapter 1*, Rishab Shetty's mythic action saga that has exploded onto screens, raking in Rs 100 crore over just two days, including a jaw-dropping Rs 45 crore on its sophomore outing. This Kannada behemoth's pan-India dominance, fueled by cultural resonance and visual spectacle, has siphoned audiences from multiplexes, particularly in southern and Hindi heartland circuits where *Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari* vied for family slots. As the weekend unfolds, the romantic comedy's fate hinges on sustained word-of-mouth and strategic promotions, but the stark contrast with *Kantara*'s juggernaut run serves as a reminder of Bollywood's evolving multipolar dynamics, where regional powerhouses increasingly eclipse traditional Hindi fare.

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