Param Sundari upsets Malayali influencers after makers allegedly remove Insta videos
The trailer of Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor’s upcoming Hindi film ‘Param Sundari’ has sparked outrage among Malayali audiences, with many content creators claiming their critical posts on Instagram are being removed.
Singer and RJ Pavithra Menon was among the first to call out the film’s portrayal of Malayali women. In a now-deleted video, she questioned why a Malayali actor was not cast for the lead role, stating, “Women in Kerala do not walk around wearing jasmine flowers and dancing Mohiniyattam.”
Soon after, her video was taken down, with Instagram citing a copyright claim from Maddock Films. Sharing a screenshot of the notice, Menon wrote, “Happy Independence Day to everyone who has a voice.”
However, this could not deter her, and she re-uploaded the video expressing her disappointment at finding a Hindi actor playing a Malayali character. “What’s the problem in hiring a proper Malayali actor? Are we less talented? This doesn’t happen in Kerala. We don’t wear jasmine flowers everywhere or do Mohiniyattam in offices and homes,” Menon said, adding that if filmmakers struggle with pronunciation, “just say Trivandrum instead of Thiruvananthapuram — we will be happy.”
Menon’s criticism has struck a chord with many Malayali creators, who have accused the film of cultural misrepresentation. Content creator Vedangi.X also alleged her video was removed after she posted criticism of the trailer.
Take a look at the film’s trailer:
“The team behind this movie is silencing all Malayali creators right now. Multiple creators are complaining about this. Instead of doing proper research, they decided to capitalise on Kerala’s culture. The portrayal is incredibly out of touch and disrespectful,” Vedangi said in a fresh video.
She further argued that their criticism falls under fair use, citing Section 52 of the Copyright Act. “We are allowed to express that criticism. But every Mallu creator who has made fun of the trailer is getting copyright strikes. This is silencing, plain and simple. You could have cast a Malayali actress or at least dubbed her. I hope silencing us was worth it.”
The controversy continues to snowball online, with many Malayali users calling out Bollywood for stereotyping and misrepresenting their culture.
