Varun Dhawan’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai Earns ₹36 Crore in Week 1 — A Laugh That Didn’t Quite Roar

David Dhawan’s swan song as a director had all the ingredients for a blockbuster — Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur, Pooja Hegde, and classic Bollywood comedy. But after seven days in theatres, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai has collected ₹36 crore nett at the Indian box office, leaving trade analysts calling it a disappointment.

Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai : Day-by-Day Box Office Collections

What Went Wrong?

The opening weekend told the real story. Saturday’s collection actually dipped below Friday’s — a sign that word-of-mouth was mixed to average at best. For a well-budgeted comedy starring a Bollywood A-lister, that’s a red flag no discount offer can fully paper over.

Interestingly, weekdays held reasonably well, giving the film a slim shot at crossing ₹50 crore — a number that seemed impossible after that Saturday stumble. For context, Varun Dhawan’s previous film Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsii Kumari crossed ₹60 crore nett, which now looks like the realistic ceiling for this one too.

The box office performance of Bollywood comedies has been unpredictable in recent years — audiences are clearly more selective, and nostalgia alone doesn’t guarantee footfalls anymore.

What’s Ahead?

Week 2 brings stiff competition. Titles like Main Vaapas Aaunga, Governor, Disclosure Day, and Backrooms are all set to eat into its screen count. Unless the film finds a sudden second wind — possibly through OTT buzz or word-of-mouth shifting in its favour — the ₹50 crore mark looks like the final destination.

This is David Dhawan’s reported last directorial outing, which makes the underwhelming performance bittersweet for fans of classic Bollywood masala. Want to track more Bollywood box office updates in real time? Check out the latest entertainment news on TechnoSports.

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