Language: Hindi and Malayalam
Director: Tushar Jalota
Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra
Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra’s captivating and electric chemistry was indeed the major highlight of Param Sundari. Not a great story, but the entire look of the film was a treat to the eyes. Entertaining? Yes, it is, and mindless? Again, another big yes. But sadly, the movie doesn’t go beyond that. It has its heart in the right place, but can get exhausting after a point.
Tushar Jalota directorial has all things required for a complete entertainment. Love stories indeed are making a huge comeback and this film never struggles as a romantic comedy. Before the release of _Param Sundari_ there was a lot of chatter about the diction ofJanhvi Kapoor which didn’t fit into the regular Malayali accent, but I felt she did a decent job. And what more can you expect if the film doesn’t go beyond the culture of Kerala and its festivals.
Shot against the breath-taking backdrop of Kerala, the film captures the intoxicating blend of monsoon-drenched roads, backwater bike rides, and the architectural beauty of centuries-old churches - including a heart-stopping sequence that echoes the romance of yore. And it talks a lot about the food of Kerala and the usual north Vs South conflict when it comes to cultures and their love for cinema and music which are poles apart.
Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor meet by chance, share some cute dialogues, and their first collaboration called Param Sundari seems to have the right amount of simplicity and candy-floss cuteness which does get nauseating sometimes. It is high time filmmakers realise that a film cannot just survive just on it’s charismatic cast. Had it not been for the oozing charm of the cast, the film would have been catastrophic.
Param (Siddharth Malhotra) is an inventor who has been told by another investor to invest in a dating app. Looks like his start-up is still at it’s starting point and on the verge of closing up. Delhi boy Param finds his match in Allapuzha in Kerala. The name of the woman is Sundari (Janhvi Kapoor) who runs a homestay. Param lands up with his friend Juggy (Manjot Singh) in Kerala to win the heart of Sundari. Though he doesn’t receive a warm welcome in the village, but slowly people of Allapuzha develops a fondness for him. Param and Sundari falls in love with each other, but are unable to express their feelings. In the meantime, Venu (Siddhartha Shankar) turns up.
What the movie required was the right amount of aesthetics, which lacked to quite an extent even when it came to the costumes. Though Sidharth Malhotra looked smashing as always, but a lot of work needed to be done on Janhvi considering that she has been portrayed as a girl from Kerala. The film has its heart in the right place as it addresses multiple issues especially how today’s generation decides everything on the basis of AI and algorithms and doesn’t listen either to their heart or head. But towards the end the film does get overtly exhausting with its forced cuteness and simplicity.
Rating: 2 and half out of 5
WATCH Janhvi Kapoor-Sidharth Malhotra’s Param Sundari trailer here: