Bollywood rom-com collides with Kannada epic—October 2 is set to ignite one of the fiercest box office battles of the year. On one side stands Varun Dhawan’s Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, a Dharma-backed family entertainer directed by Shashank Khaitan. On the other, Rishab Shetty returns with the thunderous Kantara: Chapter 1, a Kannada magnum opus riding on the cult success of its predecessor.Speaking to India Today, Varun addressed the much-discussed clash head-on. “Honestly, while setting the release date, Dharma Productions, who have been making films for so many years, picked October 2. It’s a huge date because it’s both Dussehra and Gandhi Jayanti. So overall, the business expected on this day will be much bigger than a normal Friday. Almost Rs 70 crore worth of business is available to be done in Hindi alone,” the actor said.
Respect for Kantara, confidence in Sunny Sanskari
Acknowledging the success of Shetty’s original Kantara, Varun kept things gracious. “Obviously, Kantara is a very big film. The first one was amazing. I loved it myself. But our film is very different. I think there’s more than enough space for all kinds of films,” he added.
Aiming for feel-good cinema
While the numbers game makes headlines, Varun emphasised that his film’s focus remains simple—happiness. Joined by co-stars Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf, the actor underlined the rom-com’s intent. “Our trailer has received a very good response, especially from family audiences. And like I said, we want to make people laugh, have fun, and feel happy. In life, people are already so serious and stressed about finances and the law, so this film is about giving them joy.”
