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The trailer of Param Sundari, starring Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra, has stirred up a storm online — and not for the reasons the makers might have hoped.

What was meant to be an endearing showcase of a Malayali girl has instead sparked backlash for lazy clichés: jasmine flowers tucked in her hair, oiled braids, a token Mohiniyattam routine.

Last week, content creator Steffi, who runs the Instagram handle @stuffwithsteffi, dropped a video breaking down the Param Sundari trailer — zeroing in on how Janhvi Kapoor’s Sundari is portrayed.

She opened with a tongue-in-cheek jab at Bollywood’s stereotyping, pinning flowers in her hair and adding, “Before I begin, I need to look like a Malayali. According to Bollywood, this is it.” And she wasn’t the only one. Several creators jumped in online to share their own take and express their frustration.

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A post shared by Steffi✨ (@stuffwithsteffi)

Which begs the question, in 2025, is Hindi cinema still stuck stereotyping South India? Because sadly, this isn’t new. Time and again, big-budget films have turned an entire culture into a caricature.

Here are five glaring examples:

Agneepath (1990)

First up, we have Mithun Chakraborty’s unforgettable Krishnan Iyer, M.A. — or should we say, Krishnan Iyer “Yemm-Yay”?! The South Indian coconut-seller is remembered not only for the actor's comic timing but also for the heavy-handed stereotyping.

Mithun Chakraborty in 'Agneepath'

His character leaned on every cliché: an exaggerated Tamil accent, oil-slicked hair, lungi attire, and overdone mannerisms. While meant to be a comic relief alongside Amitabh Bachchan’s brooding Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, the portrayal cemented the trope of South Indians as funny-accented sidekicks rather than nuanced individuals — a template Bollywood would echo for decades whenever it needed a “Madrasi” caricature.

Ra.One (2011)

Shah Rukh Khan’s Shekhar Subramanium is one of Bollywood’s most high-profile examples of the “South Indian nerd” stereotype. He’s portrayed as socially awkward, mumbling in an exaggerated Tamil-accented Hindi, with his diet of curd rice played for laughs. His very name — Shekhar Subramanium — was treated almost like a comic setup, underscored by his oil-slick hair and over-the-top gestures.

Still from 'Ra.One'

Though intended as affectionate, the portrayal, as many will argue, leaned heavily into the idea of South Indians as accent-heavy geeks rather than well-rounded individuals.

Chennai Express (2013)

While marketed as a love letter to Tamil Nadu, Rohit Shetty’s blockbuster is remembered for reducing the South to overblown quirks. Deepika Padukone’s Meenamma speaks in an exaggerated hybrid accent — more Malayali than Tamil — often for comic effect, with lines stretched into caricature.

Still from 'Chennai Express'

The Lungi Dance track, meant as a tribute to Rajinikanth, reinforced a singular, flattened idea of South Indian identity: lungis, dance beats, and catchphrases. Even the character names and mannerisms played into familiar tropes rather than nuanced storytelling.

Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021)

Netflix’s glossy rom-com attempted to bring a Tamil couple into mainstream Bollywood but ended up alienating the very audience it sought to represent. Abhimanyu Dassani and Sanya Malhotra play Tamil characters who, curiously, converse almost entirely in Hindi.

Cultural touchpoints are limited to filter coffee, Carnatic music, and temple imagery — boxes ticked, but without much depth. Even the diction and accents felt 'Bollywoodised', stripped of authenticity, leaving many South Indian viewers frustrated at how a pan-Indian platform could still recycle stereotypes.

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023)

Then, of course, came the now-infamous Yentamma song, which can be a case study in cultural caricature. Salman Khan, Ram Charan, and Venkatesh appear in bright dhotis, gyrating to a tune that feels perplexing at best.

Still from 'Yentamma' song

Lyrics like “naachenge uthaa karke lungi” sparked outrage, with many South Indians pointing out that a lungi is casual wear, not a dance prop.

In 2025, it looks like we’re back to bright-coloured lungis and jasmine-in-the-hair clichés with Param Sundari. And while it’s unfair to judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a film solely by its trailer, the irritation flooding the Internet is telling. But who knows, perhaps the film might even surprise us?

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