Janhvi Kapoor has been busy promoting her upcoming film Param Sundari for the last few days. After the trailer of the film was released, the actor’s accent and portrayal have received criticism from a number of performers and viewers from Kerala. Malayalam actor-singer Pavithra Menon and content creator Steffi slammed the casting of Janhvi in the film. Amid this backlash, Janhvi has now clarified the background of her character in a discussion with ET Digital. (Also read: Janhvi Kapoor’s Malayali girl act in Param Sundari gets a thumbs down in Kerala: ‘Can’t get more stereotypical’)

What Janhvi said

During the interaction, which also had Sidharth Malhotra and producer Dinesh Vijan, when Janhvi was asked what drew her to the film, she said, “I was at a point in my life where I myself, more than an actor, but as a member of the audience, was dying for just a rom-com. A light-hearted romantic movie where you have a smile on your face the entire time you are watching. Here was a story that gave me the chance to go towards my roots.”

‘I’m also a huge fan of Malayalam cinema’

She added, “Of course, I’m not a Malayali, and neither was my mother, but my character is actually half-Tamilian and half-Malayali. I’ve always been very interested in that terrain and that culture, and I’m also a huge fan of Malayalam cinema as well. So yeah, I think it was just a very fun, interesting story, and I’m so happy and grateful that I could be a part of it.”

Param Sundari revolves around the cross-cultural romance between the two leads, one from Delhi and the other from Kerala. Apart from Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi, the film also stars Rajeev Khandelwal and Aakash Dahiya in pivotal roles. Directed by Tushar Jalota, it is set to release on August 29.