Malayalam actor Pavithra Menon has voiced her concerns over Janhvi Kapoor’s casting in ‘Param Sundari’, pointing out the actor’s heavy accent in the trailer.
In a now deleted video shared on Instagram, Pavithra introduced herself by saying she was a Malayali who had watched the trailer and wanted to share her thoughts. She reacted to Janhvi’s introduction scene in the trailer by questioning why a “proper Malayali actor” was not hired for the role.
Switching between English and Hindi, she asked if Malayali actors were “less talented” and added that, just as she could speak Hindi fluently, she could also speak Malayalam well.
Speaking in Malayalam during the same video, Pavithra wondered aloud if it was really that difficult to find a Malayali actor to play a Malayali character in a Hindi film.
She criticised what she called a dated Bollywood practice, comparing it to Malayalam films of the 1990s where stereotypes were used to portray Punjabis, often with exaggerated “balle balle” mannerisms.
Pavithra stressed that it is now 2025 and audiences know how Malayalis speak and behave, without relying on clichés.
She said Malayalis are “as normal as anybody else” and do not go about wearing jasmine flowers and performing Mohiniyattam all the time.
In her caption for the post, Pavithra made it clear she had no personal dislike for Janhvi Kapoor, but questioned why the filmmakers were “trying this hard” with the accent. Many of her followers echoed her sentiments in the comments.
Pavithra Menon is both a singer and actor. She has worked as a playback singer in Malayalam films including ‘Mili’ and ‘Jack & Daniel’, and acted in the short film ‘Spit it Out, Margot!’
About Param Sundari
The upcoming film tells the story of a romance between two characters from very different backgrounds, one from Delhi and the other from Kerala. The cast includes Sidharth Malhotra, Janhvi Kapoor, Rajeev Khandelwal, and Aakash Dahiya. Directed by Tushar Jalota, Param Sundari is set to release on 29 August.