Kerala’s Tourism Department has some of the best marketing minds among Indian states. It routinely runs high-quality social media campaigns that showcase Kerala at its best, depending on the season. The Onam season in Kerala is a “high” season in the state’s tourism calendar. This year, Kerala tourism seems to have wanted to do something different besides the usual colourful social media posts and reels. Maybe it thought – Why not make a full-fledged feature film—a Bollywood-style production—that can promote Kerala across India? The tourism department officials probably collaborated with a Bollywood production house for this, and the result is Param Sundari, a typical Bollywood romcom set in Kerala that is just “Sundar”.
With this central idea, the makers probably didn’t want to look far for a new story concept. They just decided to get inspired by the past. So take the romantic story piece from the 90s hit Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and the Comedy piece from the 2010s blockbuster Chennai Express, and you get Param Sundari, a romcom that lands nowhere.
Siddharth Malhotra is a wealthy, entitled puttar of a rich Punjabi father who keeps investing his dad’s money in multiple startups without much success. As part of his business ventures, he arrives in Nangiarkulangara (yes, all the Mallu proper nouns selected in the film are long tongue twisters), a scenic, idyllic small town amid the backwaters of God’s Own Country. There, the boy, Param, meets Sundari, the Mallu girl (played by Jahnvi Kapoor), who runs a homestay. After the usual rounds of squabbles, they fall in love. However, the family has another boy in mind for Sundari, and the rest of the film is about how Param wins over Sundari and her family. Along the way, it touches upon every possible cliche associated with Kerala, like Mohini Aattam, Kalaripayattu, Vallam Kali, Puttu Kadala, Elephant, Coconut, Kathakali, etc, etc.
In a very, very often-repeated and familiar script, what works for the film is the looks of the lead pair—Siddharth and Jahnvi—as well as the eye-catching cinematography and music. Santhana Krishnan’s camera work is outstanding, right from the first drone shot of the backwaters of Kerala in the opening frame. I am sure his dad, the ace cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran, will be proud of his son’s debut. Frame after frame, Krishnan captures Kerala in its pristine beauty and vibrant colours.
Sachin-Jigar has created the musical score, which climbed to the top of the charts even before the film’s release. With the song Pardesiya, Sonu Nigam makes a remarkable comeback into a mainstream Bollywood film after some time, I believe. The song’s groove lingers in your mind long after you leave the theatre. Its picturisation is also similar to the Pachai Nirame song from Maniratnam’s Alai Payuthe. Lal Colour Ki Sari, which sounds like the Kaala Chashma song, is the next chartbuster added to the Desi Shaadi/Sangeet song list! Although the soundtracks by Sachin-Jigar in this film remind some of Rahman’s songs, they sound good and are pleasing to the ears.
Siddharth Malhotra looks good and manages to hold his own in a role where he doesn’t need to do much. However, he still lacks the raw energy and screen presence of a Shah Rukh Khan. He tries his best to channel his inner SRK in the film, but beyond his good looks, he isn’t able to do much. Jahnvi looks pretty throughout, but cannot pass as a Mallu girl to save her life. Her struggle with Hindi dialogue delivery continues, and when she has to pepper it with Malayalam lines, the struggles become more evident. Why can’t makers cast a good-looking Mallu girl who can also speak Hindi for the part?
A lot is said about the stereotyping of Mallus and South Indians in Hindi films, but I am not going there, as the same could be said of Hindi-speaking characters in South Indian films as well. Beyond the stereotyping issues, the bigger problem is the lack of a coherent storyline that can hold your attention beyond the great looks. The writing by Gaurav Mishra, Aarsh Vora, and Director Tushar Jalota leaves much to be desired, even for a film that is supposed to be just a candy floss romcom. Incidentally, Vora was part of the writing team in the earlier North meets South film, Meenakshi Sundareswarar, which left a similar feeling on the treatment.
Coming back to Kerala Tourism, I am sure it has got a fair stock of picture-perfect postcards and reels that it can use during the season and beyond to promote the state. Otherwise, the film has only managed to rub Mallus, South Indians and even Punjabis on the wrong side. Param Sundari is a harmless time-pass film that can be watched once for its beautiful frames and music.
On that note, I wish my readers a Happy Onam.
AnandKumarRSonFilms 
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