Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari box office day 1: Varun Dhawan film makes ₹9 crore amid stiff competition from Kantara

Sunny sanskari ki tulsi kumari box office day 1: Director Shashank Khaitan’s much-anticipated family entertainer, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, has officially opened to a moderate start at the box office, earning approximately ₹9.2 crore net on its first day in India, according to Sacilk.

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari box office day 1: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor starrer is facing tough competition from Kantara: Chapter 1, both releasing on October 2

SSKTK Vs Kantara Chapter 1

One of Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’s biggest challenges is its box office clash with Kantara Chapter 1, the much-hyped Kannada prequel directed by and starring Rishab Shetty. The latter has opened with over ₹65 crore.

Which city saw the most footfall?

Released on October 2, the film saw an overall Hindi occupancy of 32.45%, with evening shows driving the majority of footfall. Cinema occupancy on Day 1 showed clear regional differences. Chennai led with 58%, followed by Bengaluru (51.33%) and Kolkata (45.67%), with peak turnout in evening shows. Mumbai, NCR, and Hyderabad also performed well, while Surat, Bhopal, and Ahmedabad saw low footfall. Across cities, afternoon and evening slots dominated, with Chennai standing out for its high engagement despite limited shows.

Starring Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf, the film rides on Dharma Productions’ glossy presentation and romantic-comedy beats. Despite a decent buzz and star power, SSKTK faced stiff competition from Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara Chapter 1’, which opened to a massive ₹65 crore on the same day, overshadowing many releases with its mythological action-drama scale and critical acclaim.

SSKTK review

While fans praised the film for its light-hearted tone and lead pair’s chemistry, critics had a more measured response. “In the performance department, Varun keeps you entertained, grasping the beats well. Janhvi looks pretty and is earnest throughout, but stumbles in the emotional scenes, which should ideally reduce you to a mess. Sanya struggles with an underwritten role, managing to execute it purely because of her acting chops. Rohit performs well. Maniesh Paul, as a wedding planner, evokes some laughs. Overall, what Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari suffers from is not a lack of ambition but a lack of clarity. It wants to be a romance and a family drama all at once, yet it never commits fully to any of these tracks. For a story about fighting for love, SSKTK doesn’t make you fall in love with it,” read the HT review.