‘Param Sundari’ movie review: Siddharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor struggle to keep this rambling boat afloat in the backwaters

Early in this romantic comedy, when Param (Siddharth Malhotra), a second-generation businessman who is besotted with data, buys into the idea of a new computer application that promises to find the perfect match for netizens, he wonders, “It looks good in theory, but is it practical?”.

An hour into the film, and one realises that Param was inadvertently talking about the screenplay he is part of. The story of a romance crossing regional and cultural barriers might have sounded great on paper, but on screen, it plateaus before it reaches Deccan.

In romantic comedies, the destination is usually known; it is the journey that matters. Twelve years after Chennai Express, Bollywood boards a passenger train to Kerala with the same level of ignorance about the South but much more self-awareness. Both liquidate the fun.

The Shah Rukh-Deepika Padukone-starrer worked because their chemistry was electric. Rohit Shetty subverted the damsel in distress stereotype and was unapologetic about zestful escapist entertainment. Here, in the midst of a pan-Indian wave, director Tushar Jalota’s creativity remains stuck in the Madrasi stereotype, where Param and his dimwit friend can’t separate Rajinikanth from Mohanlal, and Sundari (Jahnvi Kapoor) delivers a lecture that seems to have been lifted from a woke social media post. She runs a homestay; he wants her heart to reside forever.

There are three writers, but the narrative has only a single layer of complexity. The hero won’t climb the heroine’s wall in desperation. He will use a coconut tree to prove his worth!

As the film primarily caters to the North, the hero must be a Punjabi with a six-pack, the girl must move to Mohiniattam, and Kalaripayattu must become the test of strength. It is a template that has run its course, but it seems the makers are unaware of the demographic shift and cinematic literacy, or they are keen on recycling content in a new territory. The disparity becomes all the more stark here, as the boy is a product of the IT boom, while the girl has spent time in Mumbai.

The cinematic lens is touristy. It follows a collection of stereotypes. From toddy and sadya to elephant and the traditional boat race, every Malayali trope has not only been ticked but also underlined without adding something to the narrative.

What troubles me the most are the undercooked character arcs. The stakes never go high enough to demand emotional investment. The coming together of Param and Sundari doesn’t stir the senses. The Sikh friend who can’t stand Malayalis quickly falls in love with a local girl without taking the audience into confidence. The third angle in the love story is a cardboard that you can easily guess will gracefully crumble at the first turbulence.

Janhvi and Siddharth seem to feel that being earnest is enough. It isn’t. Their love story might work for Instagram reels, but not as a piece of cinema. The dashing Siddharth looks rehearsed as a boy confused about the obvious, and the gorgeous Janhvi, who has yet to master modulating her voice in Hindi, is saddled with Malayali here. In short, they model to become soulmates but don’t become one.

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Sachin-Jigar’s music is not bad. It is heartening to listen to Sonu Nigam in a new film song after a while. It is a lovely tune, but in 2025, the metaphor of “Pardesiya” for a boy from the North feels a tad jaded.

It is only late in the second half when the good old Sanjay Kapoor turns up in his Punjabi avatar that the film sheds its pseudo skin and shows its true colours. But it is too late to salvage this sinking boat.

Param Sundari is currently running in theatres