Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra are busy promoting Param Sundari, which opens in theatres this Friday. Ever since the trailer for the cross-cultural romance dropped, many fans have been comparing the plot of the film with the 2013 release Chennai Express. The Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer also had a similar cross-cultural romance in the narrative. (Also read: Janhvi Kapoor says her character in Param Sundari is ‘half-Tamilian, half-Malayali’ amid backlash over her casting)

What Sid and Janhvi said

Appearing in an interview for Mirchi Plus, when the two of them were asked what they made of these comparisons with Chennai Express, Sidharth said, “I think it’s a great thing. I love Chennai Express! I think it’s a good reference. I take it as a compliment. The picture was released 10 years ago. Definitely, these two films are not the same!”

‘It’s a different milieu altogether’

Janhvi added, “It’s a hit movie and an iconic movie. But Deepika [Padukone] played a Tamilian in the film, and I play a half-Tamilian, half-Malayali girl… which, if you think about it, is a generalisation happening from 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. It’s a different milieu altogether, and it’s not like that this is a repetitive thing at all. 2 States was similar, but it came after Chennai Express, and these kinds of films aren’t being released every year. The point is people aren’t comparing us to something that needs to be forgotten, Chennai Express was an iconic film, with iconic characters and actors.”

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 29 August.