Pavithra Menon’s Criticism Of Param Sundari Trailer Removed After She Flags Kerala Stereotypes
The trailer of Tushar Jalota’s upcoming film Param Sundari, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, has been making waves online — but not entirely for the right reasons. While it has garnered over 43 million views on YouTube, the promo has also triggered a barrage of criticism, with social media users accusing the makers of reducing Kerala and its culture to clichés.
Among the loudest voices of dissent was Malayalam singer Pavithra Menon, who dissected the trailer in a reaction video. She particularly called out Janhvi Kapoor’s accent and styling, pointing out how the character felt like a caricature of a Malayali woman rather than an authentic representation.
Pavithra Menon’s video criticising Param Sundari taken down
Pavithra revealed that her critique video was removed by Instagram following a copyright complaint from “a third party.” Sharing a screenshot of the platform’s notice, which read, “We removed the following content you posted on Instagram because we received a notice from a third party that it infringes their copyright,” she sarcastically captioned the post, “Happy Independence Day to everyone who has a voice.”
In the original video, Pavithra had also questioned the casting choices, saying, “What’s the problem in hiring a proper Malayali actor? Hum kam talented hote hain kya (Are we less talented)? 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.”
Social Media reaction
Her post sparked an outpouring of support, with many users slamming the film’s depiction of Kerala. “That means it reached the right ears. Well done,” one person commented, while another remarked, “They’re scared of this also? Happy Independence Day ig.” A frustrated viewer wrote, “All Malayalis should submit a copyright infringement report against them for misrepresenting an entire state and its culture – they could have at least watched a few Malayalam movies for reference.”
Pavithra later re-uploaded her video without the film clips.
Param Sundari trailer under fire for stereotypes
Beyond Janhvi’s accent and costume, even her character’s name — Thekkupetta Sundari Damodaran Pillai — became a subject of ridicule, with Malayali audiences pointing out that such a name has never existed in Kerala. Many also noted that they could barely comprehend the “Malayalam” spoken in the trailer.
About Param Sundari
Produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, the movie also features Renji Panicker, Siddhartha Shankar, Manjot Singh, Sanjay Kapoor, and child actor Inayat Verma. Param Sundari is slated for theatrical release on August 29.
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