As I watched Param Sundari, a sense of worry surfaced in my mind several times — over the progressively deteriorating state of Bollywood. Although I walked into the theatre assuming that the worst the movie could do was offend the Malayali in me with on-screen stereotypes and typecasting, what I ended up feeling was an overwhelming sense of sorrow for Hindi cinema. I felt like Rani from Queen (2014), howling in my mind, “Mera Bollywood toh itna kharab ho gaya, itna kharab ho gaya mera.” Along with this was a resentment towards production houses for their failure to spot and nurture unique and promising new talents, as well as a fear of when, if at all, the industry would emerge from this slump.Nonetheless, Param Sundari proves that even industry professionals are not particularly interested in saving Bollywood, and by extension, themselves, and are simply focused on making quick money by selling movies packed with clichéd and outdated plot devices that worked in the past for some films. “Why waste time putting effort into creating something fresh when the predecessors already did that? So, let’s live off them,” seems to be the mindset of most production houses and filmmakers. The result is films like the Tushar Jalota directorial, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, which is not only a snoozefest but also a testament to Bollywood’s extreme laziness.Don't Miss | Lokah Chapter 1 Movie Review: Kalyani, Naslen deliver India’s finest superhero film; what Brahmastra and Kalki 2898 AD should have beenThe opening sequence of Param Sundari itself offers a straightforward answer to the question, “What’s ailing Bollywood?” It’s basically the inability of makers to let go of obsolete things. Almost like a scene straight out of a mediocre 2000s drama, Tushar opens his “romantic comedy” by showing close-ups of the different parts of Param Sachdev’s (Sidharth Malhotra) body, including his six-pack abs. It’s extremely appalling that, even after spending so many months — or perhaps even years — crafting a screenplay, filmmakers have to resort to such stock shots that highlight only the actor’s physique, rather than anything meaningful that adds to the story or the character’s journey.The worst part of this habit is that, since these actors need to maintain a particular physique and body tone, they must be portrayed as hailing from extremely well-off families. ‘Fortunately,’ this portrayal also comes with additional benefits: the man can be depicted as a playboy and a simpleton in tandem, destined to be kissed into a prince by some variation of the manic pixie dream girl trope. And here, Param is a mix of these clichés because there’s no way a “star” like him can be portrayed as a working-class youngster.What would have happened if Tushar had portrayed him as the head of the start-up Find My Soulmate? Well, Param Sundari might have turned out slightly better since it doesn’t feature the hackneyed plot “rich guy’s quest to find his soulmate”. But that means attempting something new, and that’s “risky”. So, the makers choose to have him traverse familiar territory instead, depicting him as a spoiled youth sitting on a fortune and yet unable to prove himself as a bankable entrepreneur in front of his millionaire father, Sachdev (Sanjay Kapoor). Thus, he decides to invest in Find My Soulmate, a start-up app that connects people based on their physical energies (I have no clue what that even means), as a last chance. To ensure that it works, he gives the app a try, which spits out the name and address of a woman in Kerala as his soulmate. The core plot of the movie begins with Param, along with his friend Jaggi (Manjot Singh), embarking on a journey to the southern state.From this moment on, Param Sundari becomes one long, lacklustre TripAdvisor ad for Kerala, featuring everything — and only those things — that show up first when you Google the state’s name. In other words, it’s the cinematic equivalent of Chinnaswami Muthuswami Venugopal Iyer’s full name (Dhamaal, 2007): an overstuffed showcase of every stereotype associated with Kerala in the rest of the country. What makes matters worse is the overall subpar quality of the film, which leaves one wondering whether they should be mad at the movie or themselves for buying a ticket. Although the film repeatedly states that not all South Indian states are essentially “aandu gondu,” Param Sundari unknowingly exposes that that’s precisely how the mainland northerners, including this film’s makers, perceive us.Also Read | Odum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira review: Fahadh Faasil, Althaf Salim deliver 2025’s most disappointing Malayalam filmFor dummies, no Malayali would ever name their kid “Thekkepattu Sundari Damodaram Pillai” (Janhvi Kapoor). If a parent wishes to add one more name to their child’s name, it will mostly be shortened to an initial. Given that the name Sundari itself would attract enough trauma for a child, parents don’t need to put in the extra effort to seal the deal. Just because Maddock Films called dibs on the title “Param Sundari”, the writers didn’t have to name her Sundari bluntly. Had they conducted some research, they would have discovered this quite easily. But “no pain, only gain” is the attitude, right?Story continues below this adFrom her very first scene, Sundari comes across as a Kerala tableau, embellished with all the stereotypes. No Bollywood! Malayali women don’t always walk around with jasmine flowers in their hair. They do it only during special occasions. But since you don’t care, and believe that Malayali women sport jasmine flowers even while going to pubs — like how ‘Madame’ Shalini Unnikrishnan (Adah Sharma) from The Kerala Story (2023) showed — there’s no point in lamenting.Must Read | Hridayapoorvam movie review: Sathyan Anthikad loses gold in search of a (fake) diamond in Mohanlal’s comedy dramaAt one juncture, annoyed at certain remarks from Param and Jaggi, we hear Sundari saying, “You (northerners) can’t even pronounce our names but think you are better than us?” Bizarrely, this line actually encompasses the mindset of the makers behind Param Sundari, where they didn’t even ensure that Janhvi’s pronunciation of her character’s name was correct and simply passed off whatever came close. If she can’t even say “Thekkepattu Sundari Damodaram Pillai” properly, how the hell will she say Nangiarkulangara, which is depicted as her hometown?Considering that her mother, the ever-glorious Sridevi, made strides in all the languages she worked in, I believe it’s totally fine that Janhvi was chosen to play a Malayali. However, despite being fully aware that she doesn’t know the language at all, the sheer lack of effort that went into getting her diction at least moderately right can only be described as downright ignorance. Funnily enough, Janhvi’s Hindi pronunciation is a thousand times better here compared to her Malayalam, laying bare the lack of preparation that went into creating the movie. Param Sundari proves that even industry professionals are not particularly interested in saving Bollywood and are simply focused on making quick money. (Credit: Facebook/@Maddock Films)How much money would it have cost the production house to hire a Malayali as a script doctor or a creative director? Given that the popular joke goes, “Neil Armstrong saw a Malayali tea stall on the moon,” it wouldn’t have been difficult for Maddock Films to find such a person to fine-tune the script and alleviate cultural and language inaccuracies either. However, the smug ease with which such aspects are signed off on, and the final cut is approved for release, reveals Bollywood’s blind arrogance — the belief that nuance is unnecessary when the superficial can get the job done.Story continues below this adFrom the constant references to coconut — with one scene even showing Sundari climbing a coconut tree for no reason — to the mandatory Kathakali, Kalaripayattu, and Vallamkali connections, as well as the stereotypical way the men are fashioned, which lacks resemblance to real dressing styles, Param Sundari is marred by reductive portrayals. This makes one wonder if Tushar and Maddock Films were actually attempting to ragebait. Things reach such extremes that the makers try to teach us “something new” about how to row boats easily. Apparently, according to Team Param Sundari, if we row a boat in synchrony, probably to a tune, it becomes easier, and this rhythmic style would ensure the boat doesn’t lose control. Wah wah! Kya baat hai! But if the makers of the movie have time, try Googling “vanchipattu“. Seriously, guys, please start hiring people from the cultures or locations where you have set your stories, at least from now on.ICYMI | Director was slapped by mother for gifting Rs 4.5 cr Rolls Royce to Amitabh Bachchan: ‘I had a Maruti van then’The sheer lack of essence in Param Sundari becomes most evident in the soulless romantic moments between Sidharth and Janhvi, with the best/worst example being Sundari helping Param wear a mundu (dhoti). Despite this moment being lifted directly from Swades (2004), the sheer lack of fire between the actors and in the script makes this appear shoddy. In every step Gita (Gayatri Joshi) took to help Mohan (Shah Rukh Khan) wear the dhoti, the romantic tension between them was palpable and it achieved what a hundred lip-locks couldn’t have. But in Param Sundari, since the film never convinces us how or why the two fall for each other, the mundu scene feels like a hollow imitation, lacking both flavour and fire. By the way, I never thought I’d live to see the day when Sanjay Kapoor delivers a performance that’s less unimpressive than every other actor in a film.Also, when will Bollywood stop its obsession with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)? It’s been 30 years; please stop retelling it in different ways. Move on and start writing new things. Remember, the audience don’t have to watch a cheap copy when they can watch the original. And just because you have a female actor, you don’t have to make her expose her navel slyly in every frame, end the movie with a “mandatory” lip lock, and include an end title track where the woman is expected to expose more. Have some restraint at least in the case of your sexism, though restraint doesn’t seem to exist in your films anyway.Cinema Anatomy | Coolie feels like 1992 Mammootty film rip-off; Lokesh Kanagaraj missed Rajinism 101, Rajinikanth shines best with OG fan-directorsParam Sundari proves that the complete ignorance of ground realities by Bollywood professionals is, in fact, a key reason behind the industry’s current deplorable state. Although Malayalam cinema isn’t any saint and has its fair share of issues, the respect with which it has portrayed non-Malayali characters in films like Kaalapaani (1996), Sudani from Nigeria (2018), Godha (2017) and Android Kunjappan Ver 5.25 (2019) – and that too by casting people from the respective places – can serve as a lesson for Bollywood studios. Also, if you plan to make more films set in Kerala, stop lifting our songs just because it’s easier, like you did in Param Sundari.Story continues below this adCinema cannot exist in a vacuum; it’s all about the discussions that follow. In the Cinema Anatomy column, we delve into the diverse layers and dimensions of films, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourses.