Janhvi Kapoor’s casting in Param Sundari irks Malayali actor Pavithra Menon: ‘Hum kum talented hote hain?’

EArlier this hebdomad, makers of Param Sundari eventually dropped the much-awaited house trailer of the Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra-starrer. Their invigorated alchemy and breezy romance with a hint of comedy reminded many fans of Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express (2013). While some were skeptical about Janhvi’s stereotypical accent as a Malayali, a majority of netizens showered love on the trailer, eagerly waiting for Param Sundari to arrive in theatres on August 29. Well, on Independence Day today, Malayali actor Pavithra Menon has questioned Janhvi’s casting in the film.In a re-posted video, which was earlier deleted by Instagram, actor Pavithra Menon states, “I'm a Malayali and I watched the trailer of Param Sundari, and want to really address this — what's the problem in hiring a proper Malayali actor? Hum kum talented hote hain kya? Mohiniyattam hi kar rahi hoti hai. Aisa nahi hota Kerala mein bhai. Jaise ki main baat kar rahi hun, Hindi mein. I can also speak Malayalam really well.” She went on to ask ‘I mean, is it so hard to find a Malayali to play the role in a Hindi movie?’ in Malayalam to demonstrate.Pavithra goes on to add, “You know, humne bhi bade aise cheezein kiye hain, 90s Malayalam filmon mein when we had to show Punjabis ‘Balle, balle, balle’. Now its 2025. I think everybody knows how a Malayali talks and how they are as normal as anybody else. We don't wear just jasmin flowers and do Mohiniyattam everywhere, and walk around the office and house. Please, request hai yaar. Thiruvananthapuram agar aap bol nahi sakte naa toh Trivandrum bol do, hum khush ho jaayenge.”Pavithra’s post has left the internet divided. Some netizens have lauded her for this video. For instance, a fan shared, “Superb 👏👏👏👏 very well said. Enough of these silly stereotype 🙌🙌❤️❤️❤️,” whereas another comment read, “This is the voice of every malayalee who has seen the trailer of 'PARAMA SUNDARI' 😬.” However, some have trolled Pavithra, questioning her stance. One such internet user pointed out, “"Mohiniyattam kar rahi hoti hai" - she's literally playing a mohiniyattam dance teacher in the film. What else is she supposed to do?,” whereas another asked, “So by your logic, Mrunal Thakur shouldn't have played a Punjabi in Son of Sardar 2, Aishwarya Rai shouldn't play North-Indian characters, and Rashmika, Keerthi Suresh, Parvathy and all should stop working in Bollywood films ?”While Janhvi is playing the role of Sundari from Kerala, Sidharth will be seen as a Delhi boy named Param in Param Sundari. Are you excited to witness this fresh onscreen pair in theatres this month?