Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra dismiss comparisons between Param Sundari and Chennai Express

Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra in Param Sundari

With its release date set for 29 August, Param Sundari has already sparked plenty of chatter — not all of it expected. The film, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, is being talked about for its colourful trailer, the chemistry between the leads, and also, for the comparisons it’s drawing to Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone’s blockbuster Chennai Express.

Janhvi, who plays Sundari — a character written as half Malayali and half Tamilian from Kerala — admitted she wasn’t surprised by the parallels but felt they were misplaced.

She told Mirchi Plus, “It’s a hit movie, and it is an iconic movie. But Deepika played a Tamilian in the film, which, if you think about it, is a generalisation happening by the people who are comparing the two films. I am from Kerala in the film, and not all people from the South can be grouped together.”

She added with a smile that while she respected the comparisons, the worlds of the two stories are not the same. “It’s a different milieu altogether, and it’s not a repetitive thing at all. ‘2 States’ was similar, but it came before ‘Chennai Express’, and these kinds of films aren’t being released every year. Anyways, people aren’t comparing us to something that needs to be forgotten, ‘Chennai Express’ was an iconic film, with iconic characters and actors.”

Her co-star Sidharth Malhotra, who plays Param, a young man from Delhi, chose to take the conversation as flattery. “We don’t mind the comparison at all. I think it is a compliment. I love that film, and I am a fan of Rohit Shetty films. People remember certain things due to the nostalgia factor that is connected to them, even though I don’t think that the two films are the same. Shah Rukh sir didn’t exactly play a guy from Delhi, and they were definitely not in Kerala, and Janhvi is playing a half Malayali, half Tamilian in the film, but it is definitely a compliment being compared to it.”

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But the film hasn’t escaped criticism. When the trailer dropped, several Malayali audiences felt the accent and portrayal of Kerala women leaned on stereotypes.

Singer and RJ Pavithra Menon, in a video that later disappeared, remarked: “Women in Kerala do not walk around wearing jasmine flowers and dancing Mohiniyattam.” That sentiment echoed online, where conversations about Bollywood’s history of stereotyping South Indian culture gained momentum.

For now, the debate hasn’t slowed excitement for the film. With a vibrant love story at its heart and two major stars leading the way, Param Sundari will hit theatres on 29 August. Whether it silences the critics or fuels more conversation, it’s already clear the film won’t go unnoticed.