The return of director David Dhawan to the big screen was expected to bring a dose of nostalgia, loud comedy, and family entertainment. Instead, the opening weekend of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is turning out to be a tougher ride than many had predicted. While the film managed to hold steady on Saturday, it hasn’t delivered the kind of jump usually expected from a commercial entertainer starring Varun Dhawan.
Released on Friday across India, the romantic comedy arrived with decent buzz thanks to its colorful trailers and familiar David Dhawan-style humor. However, mixed audience reactions and criticism from reviewers appear to be limiting the film’s ability to attract stronger footfalls during its crucial opening weekend.
Box Office Remains Flat on Day 2
According to early trade estimates reported by Sacnilk, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai collected around ₹7.25 crore on its second day in theatres. The figure comes very close to its opening-day earnings of ₹7.50 crore, indicating that the film has largely remained flat instead of showing the expected Saturday growth.
After two days, the movie’s India net collection stands at approximately ₹14.75 crore, while its India gross earnings have reached ₹16.38 crore. For a star-led commercial entertainer released on a wide scale, the numbers are being viewed as underwhelming by trade observers.
The concern for the makers is not just the opening figures but the lack of momentum. Weekend growth often signals positive word of mouth, but the latest numbers suggest that audience response remains divided. Much of the conversation online has centered around the film’s over-the-top humor, with some viewers enjoying the old-school comedy while others describing several sequences as outdated and excessive.
Competition Is Making Things Harder
The box office battlefield is becoming increasingly crowded. One of the biggest challenges facing Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is the strong presence of Ram Charan’s sports drama Peddi. The Telugu blockbuster continues attracting audiences across multiple markets, including Hindi-speaking regions where it reportedly added more than ₹2 crore from Hindi shows on Saturday alone.
Adding to the pressure is Hollywood thriller Obsession, which has also managed to find an audience in urban centres. The film crossed ₹4.71 crore on Saturday, creating another obstacle for exhibitors trying to allocate screens and show timings.
Because of this crowded marketplace, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai may need exceptionally strong Sunday collections to improve its overall opening weekend performance. If growth remains limited, the film could face an uphill battle during weekdays when collections traditionally see a decline.
A Story Built Around Relationship Chaos
The film follows Jass, played by Varun Dhawan, a man whose personal life spirals into complete confusion after his marriage begins falling apart. His wife Bani, portrayed by Mrunal Thakur, decides she wants a divorce, creating an emotional and comedic mess that pushes Jass toward a new relationship with Preet, played by Pooja Hegde.
The situation becomes even more complicated when both women become pregnant, with Jass finding himself at the center of an increasingly chaotic family drama. The premise relies heavily on misunderstandings, relationship complications, and the kind of loud comic situations that have long been associated with David Dhawan’s filmmaking style.
For many Bollywood fans, the film also carries emotional significance because it marks the final directorial release from David Dhawan, one of Hindi cinema’s most successful comedy filmmakers. Over several decades, Dhawan delivered crowd-pleasing hits featuring stars such as Govinda, Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, and many others, helping define an era of mainstream Bollywood comedy.
Legal Controversy Added Extra Attention
Even before the film reached theatres, it found itself caught in legal trouble involving music rights. The controversy generated headlines across the entertainment industry and added an unexpected layer of attention to the release.
Puja Entertainment reportedly filed a ₹400 crore lawsuit before the Bombay High Court against Tips Industries, producers associated with the film, and David Dhawan. The dispute revolves around songs originally featured in the 1999 comedy Biwi No. 1.
According to the allegations, iconic tracks from the earlier film were used without securing the required rights. The dispute became even bigger because the title Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is linked to one of the songs at the center of the legal battle. Reports suggest that the production house has sought removal of the songs from promotional materials and the film itself, while also demanding substantial damages if the matter is not resolved.
While controversies sometimes help generate curiosity, that extra attention has not yet translated into stronger ticket sales. The coming days will reveal whether audiences eventually embrace the comedy or whether the film joins the growing list of Bollywood releases that struggled to find momentum despite a high-profile cast and a recognizable brand name.
