Param Sundari (2025), directed by Tushar Jalota and featuring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, is a romantic comedy that explores a cross-cultural love story between a metropolitan Delhi boy and a traditional Keralite girl. Param (played by Malhotra) wants to invest in a dating app named Soulmates, which uses Artificial Intelligence to find perfect matches for its users. He is matched with Sundari (played by Kapoor), a homestay owner in Kerala. Eager to prove to his father that the app actually works, Param travels to Kerala to try to woo Sundari. But he eventually falls truly, madly, and deeply in love with her.
The film’s biggest strength lies in its stunning cinematography. Lush green landscapes, pristine backwaters, sun-kissed coconut fields, and majestic festivals of Kerala are presented beautifully on-screen. To complement its production design, the film’s costume department also does a stellar job. Sundari looks beautiful in saris, ethnic jewellery, and flower wreaths, and is contrasted fittingly by Param’s casual shirts and jeans. In fact, the costumes highlight the differences in cultural and regional backgrounds between the two main protagonists and add narrative textures to their opposites-attract romance. And the film’s music blends classical Indian tunes with contemporary beats to create modern yet culturally-rooted songs like the title track, Pardesiya, and Bheegi saree. The chemistry between the leads is light and breezy, which makes it enjoyable for viewers.
However, the film’s cultural representation relies on age-old, redundant stereotypes that don’t have a place in 2025. Sundari is shown plucking coconuts and speaking in a heavy and exaggerated Malayali accent, thereby reducing Kerala’s diverse and modern society to a ridiculous caricature. Unfortunately, the film tries to show that all Keralites conform to the same mannerisms and tropes. For those unfamiliar with the rich tapestry of Kerala, such clichés could form a warped understanding of its cultural and regional diversity. Also, for a romantic comedy, the film’s attempts at humor are overly reliant on slapstick and juvenile dialogue that don’t land well. The supporting characters are also extremely one-dimensional, and their only purpose seems to be helping Param and Sundari get their happily-ever-after.
In conclusion, Param Sundari tries its best to be a progressive intercultural love story but falls into its own trap of portraying ethnic groups as oversimplified archetypes. But despite being held back by these narrative shortcomings, the film remains a light-hearted one-time watch for romance lovers.
Written by: Avirupa Basu
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