Param Sundari plays out like a quintessential Bollywood take on the North-South romance, where Punjabi beats echo in Kerala’s coconut groves. At its heart is Sundari (Janhvi Kapoor), who runs a quaint homestay in God’s Own Country, burdened by grief after losing her parents and exhausted from single-handedly managing their legacy. She’s supported by the village elder (Renji Panicker), the community, and her younger sister (Inayat Varma), yet she carries an unshakable emotional void.

Enter Param (Sidharth Malhotra), a carefree Delhi brat who fritters away his wealthy father’s (Sanjay Kapoor) money on half-baked business schemes. His latest obsession is a “soulmate” app invented by Abhishek Banerjee’s character, premised on the belief that everyone is destined for someone special. This journey brings Param to Kerala and into Sundari’s orbit. For the first time, he experiences a genuine pull towards someone, while she, weighed down by grief, begins to feel lighter in his company. Just as sparks fly, Venu (Siddhartha Shankar), her childhood companion and someone with whom she was betrothed long ago, re-enters her life, complicating the fragile romance.

Visually, Param Sundari is a treat. Cinematographer Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran, son of Ravi K. Chandran, captures Kerala’s rustic charm in sweeping, painterly frames. The music, too, is an asset. Sachin-Jigar deliver an ear-pleasing album, with highlights such as Pardesiya, sung with rare presence by Sonu Nigam, though oddly marred by mismatched lip sync on screen. It seemed as if the actors were syncing to some other song. New singer Aditya Rikhari’s Sunn mere yaar ve brims with youthful romance, while Vishal Mishra lends soul to Amitabh Bhattacharya’s poetic lyrics in Chand kaagaz ka.

Yet, despite its aesthetic strengths, the film falters where it matters most, the heart. Both Sidharth and Janhvi bring sincerity to their characters but their performances feel studied rather than lived. They check all the boxes of a romance but don’t ignite the ineffable spark that draws audiences in. The chemistry remains polite, never passionate. Siddhartha Shankar’s underplayed turn as Venu further weakens the love triangle. An actor with a stronger screen presence – like Salman Khan in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai – would have spiced things up. The conflict, meant to be the soul of any love story, remains shallow, leaving the emotional stakes undercooked.

Param Sundari serves as a reminder of how romance once formed the beating heart of Bollywood storytelling and why its decline has left a void. Like forgetting how to measure rice and dal when it’s no longer cooked, the genre seems to have lost its proportions. While it pokes lighthearted fun at the conventions of romance as shown in our films, we’re sure Tushar Jalota’s intention wasn’t to make a satire. The film’s trailer got sharp reactions from viewers in Kerala, who felt that the film’s depiction of Malayali culture was outdated and steeped in stereotypes. Let’s hope they’re more forgiving of the complete film.

In the end, Param Sundari has the music, the scenery, and the sincerity, but not the soul…

Also Read: Param Sundari Actor Sidharth Malhotra Speaks About His Daddy Duties

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