Janhvi Kapoor has addressed the cultural background of her character in the upcoming film Param Sundari, amid criticism over her accent and portrayal of a Malayali woman.
What's Happening
- Speaking to ET Digital, Janhvi Kapoor explained that her character in the romantic comedy is of mixed heritage.
- "Finally, here was a story that had all of that, but also gave me the chance to go towards my roots. Of course, I'm not a Malayali, and neither was my mother, but my character is actually half-Tamilian and half-Malayali. I've always been very interested in that terrain and that culture, and I'm also a huge fan of Malayalam cinema. So yeah, I think it was just a very fun, interesting story, and I'm so happy and grateful that I could be a part of it," she said.
Background
While Janhvi did not directly address the backlash, her remarks come at a time when she has been facing online trolling for her accent and wardrobe in the film.
Malayalam singer Pavithra Menon has been one of the critics. She shared a video in which she broke down Janhvi's performance and expressed disappointment over how the Malayali identity was represented.
The discussion took another turn when Pavithra revealed that her video was removed from Instagram following a copyright strike. Sharing a screenshot of the notice, she said the takedown was initiated by a "third party." In her caption, she added: "Happy Independence Day to everyone who has a voice."
Directed by Tushar Jalota, Param Sundari also stars Sidharth Malhotra and is produced by Dinesh Vijan under the Maddock Films banner. The film will release on August 29.
