'I knew Alia Bhatt was not free for next 2-3 years...': Shashank Khaitan reveals if the actress was ever offered Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari

Director Shashank Khaitan recently spoke out to clarify rumors that Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari was originally planned as Dulhania 3 starring Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt.

Film was always Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari

In conversation with Free Press Journal, he said, "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. 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."

Working with Janhvi Kapoor after Bawaal

Khaitan also spoke about working with Janhvi Kapoor after Bawaal. "I think the biggest difference has been her personal confidence and her confidence as an actor. I think at the time when Dhadak was being made and released, she was battling a very sad personal tragedy (Sridevi's demise), and I think that kind of put her in a bit of a shell. I felt she was unable to express herself as an actor as well as a person. But now, seven years later, when I see her, I find her to be a very secure and very confident person, and she's kind of taken everything in her stride; her life, her tragedies, her criticism, and her love for her work. Now, I find her a more confident individual and an actor, and that's really exciting as a director because now I can throw far more challenging stuff at her and know that she is going to come through with it," he shared.

Casting Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor

The filmmaker further spilled the beans on casting Varun and Janhvi again after Bawaal, "I think Varun was a bit of an obvious choice with the kind of work we have done together, and also the genre of the film. Also, in this particular case, the idea of the movie actually came from Varun. So, it would have been quite a backstabbing act if I had taken that entire story and not made it with him. But jokes apart, he's someone who's my go-to guy for most things I do in life, and I think he was obvious. When it came to Janhvi, I've known Janhvi; I launched her in Dhadak. I kind of knew of her comic side and this commercial side, and also the fact that not much of it had been explored on screen. So, I really took this opportunity to kind of create that for her, and I was really happy when they came along," the director concluded.