What does one expect from a film titled Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari? I thought I would get something along the lines of another clunkily titled film, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya: flat romance, awkward dialogues, and decent-to-bearable songs. But by the end of Shashank Khaitan's rom-com, I found myself very surprised by my own reactions, my own viewpoints. I enjoyed Sunny Sanskari. I don't think it's as terrible as some critics and most people have claimed it to be. Perhaps much of this hatred originates from their exposure to recent ridiculous offerings, such as Bad Newz, Nadaaniyan, and Param Sundari. Only on the surface does Sunny Sanskari bear a slight resemblance to those movies. Like Bad Newz, it's about a complicated love affair. Like Nadaaniyan, it deals with characters who play the "pretend game." And like Param Sundari, it's about the use of manipulative tactics to impress one's so-called soulmate (Janhvi Kapoor being another common connection). Khaitan's vehicle, however, avoids the flaws that made those other films almost unbearable. Unlike Bad Newz, Sunny Sanskari is focused and coherent. Unlike Nadaaniyan, it's led by strong performances. And unlike Param Sundari, the lead pairs of Sunny Sanskari share convincing chemistry — the most crucial element in a romance.
The solid performances ensure that the background music never has to carry the emotional scenes as a burden; instead, it complements them nicely. I wasn't initially a fan of these sentimental doses — they seemed to interrupt the flow of the comic rhythms. Nonetheless, they gradually grew on me, thanks to a fine cast that wholly surrenders to the material. They don't just weep or convey heartbreak convincingly; they also crack you up with their delivery of jokes that are best described as childish. To cheer up Tulsi (Janhvi Kapoor), Sunny (Varun Dhawan) jokes that they'll throw Vikram's (Rohit Saraf) mother in front of a tiger and run during the safari. While Sunny and Vikram bond over their shared habit of peeing in the pool, Tulsi and Ananya (Sanya Malhotra) glare at each other with jealous eyes, inhaling deeply as if that might make them look more appealing. After drinking and dancing, Sunny, Vikram, Tulsi, and Ananya crawl on the ground like... babies. Then comes Manish Paul as a wedding planner named Kuku, who electrifies the screen with his comic energy. In his hands, even dumb jokes shine brightly. During a yoga session, he instructs everyone to change their partners until he ends up with Nisha (Mallika Chhabra), the girl of his choice. In another scene, he announces, "Agar kisi ko cheetah dikhe toh Buntu ko phenk dena jisse Nisha meri ho jaaye." Sunny Sanskari, in other words, earns that visual of Sunny running alongside the kids. Of course, a more comically attuned director might have done something more with the scene, but Khaitan gets the job done — he's fine.
Like most recent Dharma offerings, Sunny Sanskari, too, references Shah Rukh Khan and his filmography. There's a Chak De! India dialogue and a Suraj Hua Maddham reel, among other things. But there's one SRK line that isn't explicitly mentioned yet is subtly echoed through the story. I'm referring to this: "Hum ek baar jeete hai, ek baar marte hai, shaadi bhi ek baar hoti hai, aur pyar ek baar hi hota hai." One can imagine Sunny and Vikram going, "Oh, please." The former first falls in love with Ananya and then Tulsi. The latter prepares himself to marry Ananya, then Tulsi, then Dimple (Prajakta Koli). In Sunny Sanskari, Khaitan takes on the role of a progressive romantic. However, since this is a mainstream Dharma film, he isn't allowed to fly too high. A woman named Rakhi (Manini Chadha) receives an offer to work for a prestigious company. Her husband, Param (Akshay Oberoi), however, doesn't want her to have a professional life. Men like him are firmly rooted in their toxic beliefs — you can't change them overnight. However, in Dharma's world, the world of commercial movies, these big changes occur through a didactic speech. Sunny Sanskari even adds a punch to its speech — literally. I'm never convinced by these stretches, but even if I were to ignore them, there's another major issue lurking within this film.
Rakhi wants to be a fashion designer, but what has she designed, and what samples did the Paris-based company like so much that they decided to offer her an internship? Hell, what does she think of the clothes the characters wear throughout the wedding ceremony? Rakhi merely exists as a plot device waiting to be brought to life through an "eye-opening speech." Similarly, Ananya's profession is left out of sight. When Sunny brought it up while talking about her identity, I sat up in my seat, shocked to learn that Ananya has a job she loves doing. What is it exactly? What does she do? Where does she work? Now that I am thinking about these things, I am unsure what Tulsi teaches her students at school. I guess she is... the PT teacher? But then, she could be teaching anything or doing nothing at all. I suppose I wouldn't have pressed for these details, but Sunny Sanskari bats for women without providing them with much identity beyond their drama revolving around their lovers, spouses, or family. This renders the "you go girl" slogan a mere lip service. And given how strict and image-conscious Vikram's family is, I would have liked to see how Ananya managed to calm them after she was found with Sunny in the lift.
Still, if you're able to overlook these flaws, if you remain a bit forgiving toward the film, that's because Khaitan succeeds within the narrow boundaries of the mainstream. The okayish, foot-tapping music, the drama, the lowbrow comedy, and the actors — the actors! — make Sunny Sanskari entertaining. I'm still waiting for the day when characters like Rakhi take center stage and go one step further to declare that you can fall in love with your profession as well, that love doesn't have to mean falling for a man or a woman. Until that day arrives, all we can do is hope filmmakers give us more rom-coms like Sunny Sanskari and fewer like Bad Newz, Nadaaniyan, and Param Sundari.
Final Score- [6/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times