Malayalam singer Pavithra Menon took to social media on Friday to express her disappointment with the casting of Janhvi Kapoor as a Malayali in Param Sundari. Pavitra called out casting the actor in the film, saying that she can also speak in Hindi.
In a short video shared on Instagram, which was re-uploaded after being deleted by Instagram, Pavithra said, “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? Are we less talented? She is doing Mohiniattyam only. This doesn’t happen in Kerala. I can talk in Hindi fluently as well just like I can speak Malayalam. Is it so hard to find a Malayali to play the role in a Hindi film?”
"You know, we have also done some things like that in 90s Malayalam films when we had to show Punjabis doing ‘Balle, balle, balle’. Now it’s 2025. I think everybody knows how a Malayali talks and how they are as normal as anybody else. We don't wear just jasmine flowers and do Mohiniyattam everywhere, and walk around the office and house. Please, it is a request. If you cannot say Thiruvananthapuram then please just say Trivandrum, we will be happy,” said Pavithra, who is a playback singer and RJ based in Dubai.
Param Sundari features Janhvi as playing Malayali girl, Sundari while Siddharth plays a Punjabi guy, Param. Speaking about her character in the film earlier, Janvhi said, “She is deeply personal to me. Her grace, quiet strength, and love for her roots resonate with my own South Indian heritage. Shooting in Kerala, surrounded by such beauty, I felt an emotional connection to her world that I hope the audience will feel too.”
Param Sundari is set to be released in theatres on August 29.
