Following Malayalam singer-actor Pavithra Menon’s criticism, another Malayali influencer, Divya Nair, has spoken out against actor Janhvi Kapoor‘s poor diction in the film Param Sundari.
Divya has questioned the decision to cast Janhvi in the role, suggesting that a Malayali actor would have been a better fit to bring authenticity to the character.
Divya Nair slams Janhvi
Recently, Divya’s Instagram account got a copyright strike after she uploaded a video slamming Janhvi’s portrayal in the film. She had mentioned that the actor’s Malayalam dialogues in the film were incomprehensible. Now, she has shared her views in an interview with Mid-day.
Divya said, “Poor diction can sometimes be forgiven, but here, the Malayalam words itself aren’t clear or correct. The film was shot in Kerala on a massive budget. Why couldn’t the makers spend a fraction of that money on hiring a local dialect coach? Also, in the scene where Janhvi introduces herself as Theykkapetta Sundari Damodaran Pillai, the result is unintentionally hilarious as in Malayalam, ‘Theykkapetta’ is slang for someone dumped.”
“The surname is wrong — she pronounces it as ‘Pillai’, whereas in Malayalam, it’s pronounced ‘Pilla’. Bollywood had better options. Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Nithya Menen, Sai Pallavi, or Samantha (Ruth Prabhu) put in effort and respect the languages they work in. They would have done justice to the role… Not every Malayali woman walks around in a saree, sporting jasmine flowers and a bindi,” she added.
Earlier during the film’s press meet, Janhvi seemed to defend her act. She said, “My character is actually half-Tamilian and half-Malayali.”
Meanwhile, in the same report, casting director Adityoa Suranna, who worked on the first season of Criminal Justice and Pune Highway, reacted to the stir, saying that artistes shouldn’t be restricted by their identity.
Pavithra Menon calls out Janhvi
Earlier this month, Malayalam singer-actor Pavithra Menon took to Instagram to share a post where she criticised Janhvi’s portrayal of a Malayali girl in the film. In a video she posted on her Instagram, Pavithra dissected Janhvi’s accent and attire, and slammed the makers of the film for not casting a Malayalam actor in the role. Later, the video was taken down from the platform.
Pavithra shared the screengrab that showed that the video was removed by Instagram after they received notice from ‘a third party that it infringes their copyright’. Pavithra shared the screenshot with the caption: “Happy Independence Day to everyone who has a voice.”
About Param Sundari
Directed by Tushar Jalota, the film navigates 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. It is slated to release on August 29.
