The trailer of Tushar Jalota’s ‘Param Sundari’, starring Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra, was meant to celebrate cultural diversity across South India. Instead, it has sparked backlash over what many believe is a stereotypical and inauthentic portrayal of Malayali women. Malayali influencer Divya Nair, whose video critique of the trailer was recently pulled down after a copyright strike from producer Maddock Films, was among the first to raise concerns. She pointed out that Janhvi’s Malayalam diction in the film was “incomprehensible” and questioned why the makers did not hire a local dialect coach.“Poor diction can sometimes be forgiven, but here, the Malayalam words itself aren’t clear or correct. The film was shot in Kerala on a massive budget. Why couldn’t the makers spend a fraction of that money on hiring a local coach?” Divya Nair asked, in an interview with Mid Day. She further added that Janhvi’s character introduction as “Theykkapetta Sundari Damodaran Pillai” fell flat, explaining, “In Malayalam, ‘Theykkapetta’ is slang for someone dumped. The surname is wrong too—it’s ‘Pilla,’ not ‘Pillai’.”
Janhvi’s accent
The criticism goes beyond Janhvi’s accent. Many have called out Bollywood for continuing to rely on stereotypes, from dressing Malayali women only in sarees with jasmine in their hair to flattening cultural nuances. Nair argued, “Not every Malayali woman walks around in a saree, sporting jasmine flowers and a bindi!” She also highlighted that South Indian actors like Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Nithya Menen, Sai Pallavi, or Samantha Ruth Prabhu could have done justice to the role while respecting linguistic authenticity.
Casting director counters the criticism
With questions raised about why a Malayali actor wasn’t chosen, the film’s casting choices have come under scrutiny. Supporters of Kapoor argue that an actor should not be restricted by their identity or origin. Janhvi herself responded at a press meet, clarifying, “My character is actually half-Tamilian and half-Malayali.”Meanwhile, ‘Param Sundari’ will be released on August 29.
