Have you ever dreamed of an app that could find your perfect match? Not just a date, but your soulmate? For Param Sachdev, a wealthy Delhi boy with his father’s credit card and a knack for startups, this dream is just another investment opportunity. That is, until the algorithm speaks a name he cannot pronounce: Thekkepattu Sundari Damodharan Pillai.
This is where our story, Param Sundari, begins—not in the bustling metros of North India, but in the misty, green heart of Kerala. And friends, it’s a journey that will feel both intimately familiar and startlingly foreign to many of us.
A Love Letter to God’s Own Country, Penned by an Outsider
Let’s be clear from the start: the true star of this film is not Sidharth Malhotra or Janhvi Kapoor. It is Kerala itself. The camera drinks in the scenery like a thirsty traveler. It swoops over emerald backwaters, lingers on the rain-drenched leaves of sprawling plantations, and captures the fierce, graceful energy of Kalari Payattu practices led by Sundari’s uncle, Bhargavan Nair (a wonderfully stern Renji Panicker). You can almost smell the rich aroma of appam and stew wafting from the kitchen of the ancestral Tharavad.
For anyone who calls this place home, there is a undeniable pride in seeing our land portrayed with such breathtaking beauty. The homestay is not just a set; it feels like a real tharavad, filled with history, silence, and secrets. Janhvi Kapoor’s Sundari is not a caricature; she embodies a certain strength and grace—a modern Malayali woman rooted in her tradition yet running her own world.
When Two Worlds Collide: The Charm and The Cringe
The heart of the film beats in the clash between Param’s slick, fast-paced Delhi life and Sundari’s rooted, deliberate world. Sidharth Malhotra plays the fish-out-of-water with charm, his initial bewilderment at the customs and his slow unraveling forming the core of the comedy.
We see him fumble with the language, misread traditions, and try to use his urban savvy in a place that operates on an entirely different frequency. The supporting cast, including Manjot Singh and Abhishek Banerjee as his friends, provide the classic Hindi movie humour, often acting as the audience’s surrogate in their amazement and confusion.
But here is where the film draws mixed reactions. While the intention is to comedy, the execution sometimes leans into stereotype. The “otherness” of Kerala culture is sometimes played for laughs in a way that can make a local viewer sigh. Is our food that spicy? Is our accent that funny? The criticism the film has received for this is not entirely unfounded. It sometimes feels like a beautiful postcard written by someone who has visited but never truly lived here.
The Final Verdict: A Flawed, But Beautiful Dream
Param Sundari is a classic Bollywood masala film dressed in Kerala Kasavu. The music is a triumph, a fitting homage to the title’s legendary namesake song. The chemistry between the leads is palpable and grows genuinely sweet as Param moves from seeing Kerala as a novelty to understanding it as Sundari’s soul.
So, should you watch it?
If you go seeking a deep, authentic portrayal of Malayali life, you might leave wanting. The film skims the surface of our depth.
But if you go for a spectacular visual escape, a dose of romance, and a few good laughs, you will be entertained. It’s a film that tries to bridge two Indias with a love story. It doesn’t always succeed, and it sometimes stumbles over its own simplifications, but its heart is in the right place.
It asks a question we all ponder in the age of technology: Can love truly be found in an algorithm? Param Sundari suggests that the app might point you in the right direction, but you have to make the journey yourself, across backwaters and cultural divides, to find the answer.
Rating: 3/5 Stars. A visually stunning, melodious postcard with a slightly outdated message.
