Pavithra Menon on 'Param Sundari' controversy: It was not against Janhvi Kapoor, caricaturish characterisation bothers

Pavithra Menon, a popular Malayalam television host, recently found herself at the centre of an online controversy after sharing a video response to the film 'Param Sundari', starring Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra.In her video, Pavithra addressed certain stereotypes linked to South Indians portrayed in the film. However, many viewers wrongly assumed her remarks were aimed at Janhvi Kapoor, who plays a Malayali character, leading to widespread discussion and debate online.

Pavithra Menon clarifies her intentions behind the video

Pavithra has now clarified that her intention was never to target Janhvi personally. Instead, she explained that her video aimed to highlight the larger issue of stereotypical portrayals in cinema, not the actress herself.Speaking to Hindustan Times, Pavithra said she addressed the stereotypes in Janhvi’s character because they made her feel uncomfortable.“In Kerala, we love easy humour, and we have the ability to take a joke on ourselves. And we’ve been doing that for many, many years. In the ’90s, when our characters were portrayed in a very caricaturish manner, we also took it as a joke, and we felt that it was fine, it was entertaining.

I might be a little embarrassed by them portraying everybody as Madras, but we still watch those films. But it’s 2025 now. Look at how far the world has come and all we have achieved.

So, to see that kind of off-putting caricaturish characterisation bothers us."

Pavithra stresses it was not personal attack

“I am not an actor. When reports said that a Malayalam actor spoke against Janhvi, that’s a whole different conversation. That is not what is happening. It’s not professional jealousy.

Honestly, I was not trying to steal anybody else’s job, but just saying, do the job properly. So if somebody doesn’t speak my language well, I would want to point that out," Pavithra clarified. She emphasised that her criticism was aimed at the role and its portrayal, not at Janhvi herself. "Janhvi honestly looks like a very down-to-earth person. I have met her a couple of times when she's come to Dubai for her promotions," she added.

Pavithra comments on accent and portrayal issues

'Param Sundari' features Janhvi Kapoor as a Malayali woman opposite Sidharth Malhotra, who plays a Delhi native, in a cross-cultural love story. Pavithra added that actors from any part of the world could play any character, which is why they are called actors, but insisted that at least a dialect coach should be provided. She said that if a film can hire an intimacy director, spending money on a dialect coach should not be an issue. She noted that she recently learned the makers had actually provided one, but felt it was still handled very poorly.She further pointed out that many Hollywood actors are American but perform British accents convincingly, questioning why Indian actors could not do the same.