Janhvi Kapoor’s performance in the upcoming film Param Sundari, particularly her Malayalam dialogues has sparked widespread criticism, and rightfully so. It’s not about expecting perfection from a non-native speaker, but when the basics aren’t met, like clarity or even correct diction, it becomes hard to excuse. For a film shot in Kerala with a sizable budget, it’s baffling that no effort was made to coach Janhvi with a proper Malayalam language consultant.
Her diction isn’t just poor, most of what she says in the trailer is incomprehensible to native Malayalam speakers. Even Malayalam words she attempts to pronounce are slurred or incorrect, making it difficult to follow the dialogue. And no, “theykapetta” is not a poetic or emotional word. It’s slang for someone who was dumped. A line meant to evoke pride becomes unintentionally comic.
This is not just a Janhvi problem. It’s a crew problem. From costume choices to accent, the portrayal of Malayali culture appears to be filtered through a typical Bollywood lens, where jasmine flowers, bindis, and half-sarees define a Malayali woman. That’s simply not the everyday reality.
The film perpetuates a tone-deaf North-Indian perspective of South Indian life, one that has long been critiqued for reducing nuanced cultures into caricatures. Characters are loaded with outdated stereotypes, and no visible effort is made to offer authenticity.
This casting could’ve easily gone to actors like Nithya Menen, Keerthy Suresh, or Sai Pallavi, all of whom are either Malayalis or have close ties to Kerala and are known for taking linguistic and cultural authenticity seriously. When Bollywood has access to actors who are both talented and culturally rooted, why settle for a glamorous face with zero prep?
This film is yet another entry in Bollywood’s tone-deaf attempt to portray South India: where Kathakali and Kalaripayattu are used as lazy visual markers, but the real nuances of language, identity, and daily life are completely ignored.
Much like Meenamma in Chennai Express, or the portrayal in Meenakshi Sundareshwar, this is yet another north-centric lens on the South — exaggerated, filtered, and far from grounded.
It’s not hate, it’s criticism based on facts. If you take crores for a film, the least you can do is respect the culture you’re representing. Learn the basics. Work with a coach. Use your resources. Because “makeup itta Sundari” isn’t going to cut it.
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