Pavithra Menon questions Janhvi Kapoor's 'Param Sundari' accent and why a Malayali actor wasn't cast: 'Hum kam talented hote hain kya...'
Janhvi Kapoor
's latest film Param Sundari has sparked a debate even before its release. While the trailer has been praised for its cross-cultural love story, the portrayal of Janhvi's Malayali character and her accent has drawn criticism from Malayalam actor-singer Pavithra Menon, who questioned why a native actor from Kerala wasn't cast.
On Wednesday, the Malayalam singer-actor took to Instagram to criticize the film's makers for the stereotypical portrayal of Malayalis in Hindi cinema, questioning why actors from Kerala are rarely cast to play local characters. She wrote in her caption: "I mean no hate to Jhanvi here but why try this hard?"
Watch the video here:
"I am Pavithra Menon; I am a Malayali, and I watched the trailer of Param Sundari, and this is what I think," the actor began in a video she posted on her Instagram.
The video then showed a portion of the Param Sundari trailer where Janhvi's character introduces herself in heavily accented Hindi: 'Main Thekkapatil Damodaran Sundaram Pillai Kerala se.'
Pavithra reacts in surprise and adds, "Wait, what? Before we go further into the trailer, I want to address this: 'What's the problem in hiring a proper Malayali actor?' Hum kam talented hote hain kya (Are we less talented)?" The actor switches to Hindi and adds, "This is not how it happens in Kerala.
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Like how I am talking in Hindi, I can also speak Malayalam really well."
Switching to Malayalam, Pavithra adds, "Is it so hard to find a Malayali to play the role in a Hindi movie." The actor then addresses the stereotypical depiction of Malayalis in Hindi films and says, "We have done such things in Malayalam films of the 90s when we had to show Punjabis (does an exaggerated balle balle). But now it's 2025. I think everybody knows how a Malayali talks, and how they are as normal as anybody else.
We don't just wear jasmine flowers and do Mohiniyattam everywhere."
Fans support
Her post received widespread support from many of her followers. While one user wrote, 'Atleast Malayali dubbing artist would have been better,' another one added, 'I second this, even with the styling too'. A user also commented, 'Not only Malayalam but also Bengalis. There is a notion in Bollywood that all the Bengali girls just wear a saree, bindi and kohl. They always sing Tagore's'
The film follows a cross-cultural romance between a Delhi-based man and a Malayali woman. Alongside
Sidharth Malhotra
and Janhvi Kapoor, it features Rajeev Khandelwal and Aakash Dahiya in key roles. Directed by Tushar Jalota, Param Sundari is scheduled for release on August 29.
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