Param Sundari Review – Bollywood’s Thekkapetta Sundari is just a flat rom-com

Param Sundari – Movie Review 

To capitalize their hit item song title, how Maddock Films created a film title with a weird female character, it’s the story of Param Sundari in a single line. Forget Kerala, in modern times, have you seen anywhere in India, where parents name their girl as ‘Sundari’. Yes, we do call cats and cows as Sundari, but never a girl. If she is beautiful, we can say, ‘She is a Sundari’. That’s all.

From screenplay to depicting Kerala culture, showing so many things like Kerala Tourism ad during Onam season, Tushar Jalota’s Param Sundari falls flat. Ever since the trailer was released, the movie received so much flak from Malayalis for distorting their culture and showing them in stereotypes, which Bollywood has been doing since long. While Param Sundari is not serving anything new in the romantic comedy genre, it invited a lot of discussions about the crossover of North & South cultures, and how South Indians are stereotyped in Hindi films. Also read: When will Bollywood break the stereotype Tamilian roles in movies? Moving on, let’s talk about Bollywood’s ‘Thekkapetta Sundari’ from a Malayali perspective. It’s pure roasting of Param Sundari, please don’t offend.

Let’s check the movie’s positives first 

The biggest positive of Param Sundari is the fresh pairing of Siddharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor. Kerala and its cultural symbols are shown so beautiful, which is a plus point. The movie shot in beautiful locations enhance the overall quality of the film. Cinematography done by Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran, who belongs to an influential cinematographers’ family from Kerala, lifts the movie to another level, though the script is average and offers nothing new.

Above everything, what attracted me most is the romantic ‘Pardesiya’ song in our long-lost Sonu Nigam’s voice. The song became an instant chartbuster long before the trailer was released, and this single was enough to create buzz among the audience who loved Sonu Nigam’s voice after a pretty long time. Other songs are also pleasant, matching the scenes. Yet it’s Sonu Nigam’s ‘Pardesiya’ which became the USP of the film. You can frequently hear its tune playing in the background throughout the film. It’s pleasant. But still, I expected more at a time when South Indian Cinema is experimenting a lot with background score, making films more impactful and appeasing audience.

Now moving to the flaws

Let’s begin with the female lead’s name 

No boy or girl in present times introduce themselves as ‘Thekkepattu Sundari Damodharan Pillai’. The name looks so weird. Maybe her passport shows this name, or her bank identity, when the initials are expanded. Even if we assume her name is simply ‘Sundari’, I don’t think parents would have named their child so, in the past 40-50 years or so.

After receiving a lot of trolls and criticisms, the way Janhvi introduced herself as Thekkapetta Sundari Damodharan Pillai (Sundari Damodharan Pillai, who has been ditched) in trailer, the makers have asked her to dub it again, and this time it pronounces better. In Malayalam, Thepp has two means – Ironing (clothes) and concreting (cement on walls). But even since Fahadh Fasil’s iconic film, Maheshinte Prathikaram got released in 2016, Thepp has a new meaning in popular culture. In the film, it’s shown as Fahadh’s lover ditches him and marries another fellow whom she feels better.

Even since the movie was released, this character played by Anusree became instant hit. Though her role was small, it broke all stereotypes of female lovers and she officially became the first ‘Theppukari/Theppupetti’ of Mollywood. Since then, this term is a part of meme culture, mostly to show women who ditch their boyfriends, which was not so common till then. In this context, Thekkapetta literally means ‘It’s me who got ditched’. This term is mostly used in humour context, and when Janhvi introduces herself as Thekkapetta Sundari to audience, she got severely trolled and was made fun of. No wonder, she became a big joke among Malayalis.

Some typical stereotypes are used in the film throughout

The movie was trolled for the way, Malayalis were portrayed in the film. There are many previous references to Malayali heroines in Bollywood in an authentic way. Yet the makers preferred to choose the safe path, without much research and effortless scriptwriting. The movie was also trolled for taking inspirations from Chennai Express. Yes, it’s true, many scenes are inspired from this Shah Rukh starrer. The movie was then criticized to portray Tamil people in a wrong way. Without any kind of hard work or sweating, Param Sundari exactly takes the same path. Post pandemic, Indian cinema and taste of audience has changed a lot. Unless Bollywood take risks and experiment something new, it’s not easy to bring audience to theatres. Needless to say, Param Sundari only fared average at box office.

Jasmine flowers, Kerala Sari and Dhoti, Malayali Christian nurse, Kalaripayattu, Kathakali, Onam, Mohiniyattam, elephant, temples, festivals, lighted lamps and cultural symbols, backwaters, house boat, boatrace, Communists, saaar (something which we recently heard of in a Youtube show), local goons (similar to Chennai Express), local toddy, Athirapilly waterfalls, Munnar tea plantation, cousin marriage and above all, coconut tree and its parts – Param Sundari has nothing new to offer. Mohanlal, Love Jihad, Ayurveda, Communist Pacha (a medicinal herb), Homestay, Toddy and Toddy shop are a few things they added extra. Many of these symbols are outdated when it comes to normal life of Malayali, and it seems like the crew contacted some senior citizen from Kerala or asked some person from North-East who has been working here. They googled a few things too.

Sundari’s Malayalam is hard to understand

I could easily understand Janhvi’s Hindi and English dialogues (except that ‘Thenka’ dialogue which should actually be pronounced as ‘Thenga’ in Malayalam), but I needed English subtitles to understand her Malayalam. Even some Malayali reviewers complained that, they had to rewind 7-8 times at many shots to really know what was being spoken. It’s true also.

If she has been casted as a Malayali girl, brought up in Delhi or Mumbai, it would have been more convincing. In any angle, she is not appearing like a Malayali girl either. But through acting skills and perfect dialogue delivery, she could have played this character with much conviction. But when we refer her filmography, it doesn’t seem she has that potential. But still, comparing with her previous performances, she has improved very much, and her chemistry with Sidharth Malhotra also looks charming. It’s one among the positives of the movie.

If they wanted to cast Janhvi it’s OK. But they could have hired some dubbing artist to dub those Malayalam lines. If so, the movie would have elevated to another level. Overall, the movie is not bad to watch, and maintains the fun elements throughout. But Janhvi’s performance and dialogue delivery have damaged the movie and its authenticity a lot. Thanks to Renji Panicker who translates most of Sundari’s dialogues to Hindi, to make Malayalis understand (not non-Malayalis). I really want to put a laughing smiley here.

Let’s discuss some mistakes in the film 

Some journeys are dream travels and time travels in the movie 

In one scene, hero gets wounded in Alappuzha district and heroine takes him to Athirapilly waterfalls of Thrissur district, which is 125 kms apart. It should take at least 3-4 hours to cover by road. Can you believe? She is taking him to Athirapilly, as if it’s in same village or nearby. Same way, he returns back to same waterfalls within a few minutes to search her ring. To my surprise she also reaches there within a few moments. Also, it’s not possible to find a wandering elephant nearby Athirapilly waterfalls (miles away from Alappuzha) during daytime, which is actually a tourist spot. And after a few minutes, they together go for a bike ride, which covers many districts and tourist spots like Munnar tea plantations & Kochi backwaters. They don’t carry baggage, but seen in different attires throughout the journey (avoiding some dream sequences).

We, Malayalis look for logic and realistic things, which you can find in present-day changing Malayalam cinema. If such scenes are shown in Malayalam films now, it will be a festival for trollers, definitely.

Janhvi is seen serving rice in a quad serving bowl 

This steel serving bowl is used to serve multiple side dishes together. Only a little amount can be taken in each bowl. But the most hilarious part is, in one sequence where Janhvi serves side dishes of Kerala sadya, she is serving rice too from the same quad serving bowl. She even takes Pappads (Pappadam) from it and serves on banana leaf. And Sid is seen following her, serving pappad. When Sidharth Malhotra asks her some uncomfortable question, she simply leaves the place saying dishes are over. Then she is seen refilling rice into small containers of the quad serving bowl.

For this single scene, Malayalis have trolled her a lot. Rice is served in big bowls, using plates, and pappads, mostly in baskets (it can be ignored here). It’s just basic things. I wonder why Malayali people in the film sets didn’t point them this blunder. A few shots later, Janhvi is talking to her fiancée in Hindi, though both are Malayali characters in the movie. To add, in his intro scene, he wears a Melmund (Angavastram in Tamil) over the off-white shirt along with mundu, which looks awkward. Who wears Melmund these days, that too, a youngster!! Is it a fashion show going on? Men wears this upper cloth mostly inside Kerala temples where shirts are not allowed, that’s all.

Some years back, when Baaghi was released, every poser, magazine, and even railway station displayed mirror images of Malayalam. I was wondering why they didn’t include at least one Malayali in their production team.

The team is totally ignorant of Vanchipaatt (Boat song) 

Malayalam literature has a special section called Vanchipaatt, special poems exclusively used in boat races to motivate the oarsmen. In the film climax, it looks so strange when Param sings Yeh Dil from Pardes (1997) to motivate his team members. The song fits the situation similarly to the way in which the song is filmed in the movie with Shah Rukh. But it doesn’t fit like a Vanchipaattu here. Better they could have chosen the patriotic Vande Mataram to motivate everyone, the song which everyone knows. It’s also very strange to see a less-experienced Param seated in the front. Read about Kerala’s boat races during Onam Season here.

How Sid’s character believed in that app, which is not alive yet 

The app is not installed yet. Only a very few know about it. Then how can someone find profiles to match it. In fact, Jhanvi is not in SM too. Then how? When Param finds Sundari, Sundari should find his match too, through some notification or anything (She was registered with app then, before her account was deleted). But it’s not happening. Also, if the app has to work properly, it should have a good count of registered customers. It’s not easy to find soulmate from a few people in a less-known app, and the movie is all about funding the app. It’s hardly believable.

Mohiniyattam costumes shown are not authentic 

She is doing classical dance in more than one scene. When it’s shown first, she is dressed in Kerala set sari and not the attire of Mohini. Her Mohiniyattam steps appear more like Bharatnatyam for me. When her character claims, she studied from the most prestigious art school of Kerala, her dancing steps should be authentic. For her stage performance, was it Mohiniyattam or Keralanadanam attire? I am a bit confused. In Janhvi’s intro scene, she appears like a Chinese dancer in Kerala traditional dress. You can also see her wearing sandals along with Chilanga (Ghungru) which a traditional dancer never does.

Some misconceptions about Kerala lifestyle 

Have you frequently seen girls climbing coconut trees?

It’s not common to see a girl climbing coconut tree to pluck coconuts. Honestly, I have never seen it in my entire life. It’s true, many women do it as a profession, but definitely not girls who pluck coconuts from their courtyard. It’s not necessary that you should associate each Malayali with coconuts.

Saree-cladded girls have almost disappeared from Kerala 

There are many references, which doesn’t really form a part of Malayalis’ daily life now. Nowadays, like other parts of the country, girls commonly use churidars, skirts, jeans etc for convenience, not Sarees, which are mostly used for functions and festival eves. You can watch a few recent Malayalam movies for reference. Afterall Mollywood films are widely praised in the recent times. You (including makers) can watch a few of them of your choice.

Same is the case of jasmine flowers. Like any other Indian tradition, Kerala women mostly wear jasmine flowers during special occasions like festivals, functions or when she is dressed as a bride. It is ridiculous to think every Malayali woman wears jasmine flowers wherever she goes (Reference – The Kerala Story). In the movie, you can find some innovative ways of wearing jasmine.

Some instances where Kerala and Malayalis were shown in bad light 

Local toddy people and poor mobile network 

In the aero plane, it is seen Malhotra asks his friend to talk to a dark-skinned person in Malayalam assuming that he is Malayali. It’s pure racism, which nobody talked about. Also, some of the translation terms he learns, such as ‘Valare Upakaram’ for ‘Thank You’, is not common in use. Yes, in some parts of Kerala it’s found. People nowadays simply use ‘Thank You’. Nanni is the Malayalam word, which is also not common in use.

After getting into a car, praising Malayalis as literates, they found a driver speaking English. That’s Ok. But the driver is drinking toddy in front of them while driving, and causes accident, which looks so weird. How simply they could have taken this scene without much complications. The scene looks so forced. National highways of Kerala are always busy, and it’s not difficult to find another car. Kerala is among the most densely populated states. When a millionaire relies on bus transport in an unknown place, it looks so strange.

Except BSNL connection, most mobile towers work perfect in Kerala. You need not climb coconut trees to make a call. In fact, according to statistics, Kerala ranks among the top states in India for internet connectivity/penetration, often ranking second, just behind Delhi. As per statistics of July 2022, a report from TRAI mentioned that “87 out of 100 Keralites have internet connection; only Delhi ahead of state”. In the latest 2025 update, Kerala now has 99 internet connections per 100 people (rural + urban combined) — much higher than the national average of 68 per 100.

Keralites are shown as people using local toddy, but the real truth is – Kerala is among the top consuming states of beverages. When we look into this year statistics, during Uttradam day of Onam season, liquor worth 137.64 crore was sold, which is 15 times more than first day collection of the movie. 12-day Onam season reported a record sale of 970.74 crore this year.

Alappuzha people have problem with boy’s dress, but not with girl’s attire 

This scene has already generated a lot of criticism, where Sidharth Malhotra’s character goes for a morning walk in shorts, and he is harassed by ‘Sadachara Police’ (Moral policing). They force him to wear a dhoti, while one among the group was wearing a short dress. The way a Malayali nurse was portrayed in a bad light through different scenes also brought controversies.

When a lot is talked about Sidharth’s dress, nobody is talking about Janhvi’s dress. In most scenes, including songs, she drapes the sari in a bold, revealing style which is not OK for rural village people. Why such double standard? For a Bollywood film it’s OK. But if you go to any part of Kerala, you can’t find young girls wearing sari this way. Though Kerala is an advanced and developed state, when it comes to costumes, they stick to traditional ways. It’s not easy to get away those glaring eyes, and people will start judging them. It is common in all rural and sub-urban areas of our country.

Some interesting things I noticed

Pardesiya song got one more inspiration 

This fact was first noticed by an Instagram user. The popular humming portion of Pardesiya in Sonu Nigam’s voice is so beautiful and pleasant to our ears. Was it inspirated from the signature tune of the title track of Malayalam film Naren, starring Mohanlal? Is it just a co-incidence or intentionally added as a tribute; because in one scene Janhvi is saying, ‘if you listen to Mohanlal songs with a cup of Chai, all your problems will be solved’. I am providing the Instagram link for reference. Click the link here.

Situationship & Benching are well explained in the film 

It’s a new term used by Gen Z kids – Situationship. But it’s rarely explored in films. In my opinion, Sundari has put Param, Sidharth Malhotra’s character in a situationship. Her marriage with Venu Nair, character played by Siddhartha Shankar (both the boys’ names are Sidharth. Very interesting) is fixed. Then what’s she doing with Param. She is not accepting him, not leaving him either, not giving any name to their relationship, but spending more time with him even after knowing he is deeply in love with her. And Param is in dilemma, who am I, what’s my position in this relationship. She puts Siddharth in Situationship. It can also be called Benching, because Sundari is keeping Param as a backup option without fully committing to him.

The climax reminds me of Jab We Met 

Why the climax of Jab We Met and Param Sundari appear so similar? In both the films, marriage of the heroine is fixed with some one else, not the hero and when she realizes her true love in the climax, she ditches the fiancée by kissing her lover (who is surprised) in front of him/relatives, thus getting rid of them. Looks like the makers took inspiration from it. Has Param Sundari got anything new to offer? Maybe only that ‘Finding Soulmate’ app concept.

People use boats for daily transport 

Not only for fun & recreation and tourism, people use boats for daily transport in Alappuzha. In the district, most places are surrounded with backwaters and paddy fields. Road transport is not possible in all places. That’s why you can see people travelling in boat, and the wounded person taken to clinic in boat. It’s the only thing in the movie where logic works, and truly connects with normal life. Many people own their own boats, small or big for their transport. It’s the only district of Kerala, below sea level. Floods time and monsoon, it’s very difficult for them.

Nangiarkulangara is a real place 

For many people, Nangiarkulangara may appear as a fictional place. The place name is so difficult to pronounce for a non-Malayali. Nangiarkulangara is a relatively small town situated near Haripad of Alappuzha district. The name literally translates as ‘Land on the banks of Nangiar Pond’. ‘Kulam’ is Pond in Malayalam & ‘Kara’ means Bank of river, pond etc. To add, there are many place names derived from the names of ponds and rivers. For example, my hometown Neyyattinkara translates as ‘Land on the banks of Neyyar, a river’. You can find numerous place names like Shaktikulangara, Udayankulangara, Palkulangara etc across different districts. Actually, it should be ‘kara’ instead of ‘gara’. But I don’t know why these names connecting ponds are written this way, may be for easy pronunciation. It’s not wrong, actually.

Ammavan’s name is Bhargavan Pillai, and his son’s name is Venu Nair

It’s confusing to many. Janhvi Kapoor’s name is Sundari Damodharan Pillai, her Ammavan’s name (maternal uncle) is Bhargavan Pillai, but why Bhargavan’s son is Venu Nair. Why the surname is different? In districts of mid-Kerala like Thrissur, in Nair community, maternal lineage is followed where mother’s family name is taken along with the child’s name & her initials, not the father’s name. But I have no idea about other districts like Alappuzha. In Kerala, marriages do happen among Nair, Menon and Pillai, where all these Hindu communities are seen as same.

Param Sundari – My movie review 

When it comes to non-Malayali who is less aware of Kerala culture, and if you are a fan of rom-coms Param Sundari is a pleasant ride. It’s all about the love of Param and Sundari, and the screen pairing of Sidharth Malhotra as Param Sachdev and Janhvi Kapoor as Thekkepattu Sundari Damodharan Pillai is so refreshing. Both look amazing on screen together and their screen chemistry is – in one word, Wow! This role is tailormade for Siddharth and through his charming looks, he has mastered these kinds of roles much earlier. Janhvi also appears a Sundari or Mohini on screen, no doubt. She looks beautiful in traditional costumes. If you want to have some fun, without looking too much into details, it’s definitely worth your watch. You can simply relax and have fun. Movie is filmed in some of the most beautiful locations of Kerala.

Overall, the movie is very light hearted and humorous, and not at all serious at any point of time, which makes it a sweet romcom too. Param Sundari is a typical Bollywood masala entertainer. But the real problem is the treatment of the movie. Story is too simple without much twists and turns, and right from the beginning itself, like every typical rom-com, we can predict the climax. Jokes are purely based on stereotypes and movie falls flat here. No twists or turns, and it makes movie less interesting. If you are a Malayali or south Indian, many moments may appear awkward for you.

Author’s Note: 

If I am asked to point out flaws in the film, I can write a lot. Janhvi’s Malayalam itself can make a lengthy article. As the article is already lengthy, I am winding up saying, I have no hate towards Bollywood filmmakers, but I really feel sad the way Malayalis are stereotyped here. The director could have explored much more, talking more about modern independent Kerala girl and how she financially manages everything in the absence of their parents, and their daily life challenges. But he chose to stay in a comfortable zone, where everything is shown beautiful, catering a group of audience only. That’s where I disagree.

For a change, just watch Malayalam original version of Devaragam (1996), Sridevi’s comeback movie, and her last Malayalam movie too. Her chemistry with Aravind Swamy was just perfect, and how beautifully Sridevi portrayed a traditional Malayali girl! Janhvi could have watched her mother’s performance in this movie. Despite being a Tamilian, who didn’t appear in Malayalam films for more than a decade, Sridevi was just tailormade for this role. Actress Revathy dubbed for her, but still Sridevi amazingly performed it. In short, there is no problem in casting a non-Malayali actress, but a dubbing artist can be hired if she can’t get that perfect Malayalam accent. It adds more authenticity to the role.

In 2024, Fahadh Fasil’s Avesham was released, where he played a Kannada person. His Malayalam accent was not matching with any of the accents across 14 districts of Kerala. Through his diction and dialogue delivery, he made audience believe, he is not a Malayali, though in reality it’s opposite. It was more like a Kannadigan speaking Malayalam. Fahadh brought such simple improvisations to the role. That’s the real art and real cinema. Hope you got my point.