Malayalam singer-actor Pavithra Menon has stirred debate online after her criticism of Janhvi Kapoor’s portrayal of a Malayali girl in the upcoming film Param Sundari. A few days ago, Pavithra posted a video on Instagram where she dissected Janhvi’s accent, attire, and slammed the filmmakers for not casting a Malayali actor in the role. The video, however, was recently taken down by Instagram, sparking fresh controversy.

On Saturday, Pavithra shared a screenshot of the removal notice with a biting caption: “Happy Independence Day to everyone who has a voice.” Instagram cited that the video was taken down after a third-party complaint over copyright infringement.

The original video had included brief clips from the Param Sundari trailer alongside Pavithra’s commentary, which may have triggered the takedown. Interestingly, several other review videos using similar or longer clips remain live on both Instagram and YouTube.

Support poured in for Pavithra soon after. One follower commented, “That means it reached the right ears. Well done.” Another encouraged her to repost, writing, “Please post again this time without the stills from the movie.”

In her critique, Pavithra questioned the lack of authentic representation in Bollywood: “What’s the problem in hiring a proper Malayali actor? Hum kam talented hote hain kya (Are we less talented)?” She further mocked the stereotypical portrayal of Malayalis, saying, “We don’t just wear jasmine flowers and do Mohiniyattam everywhere.”

Pavithra is known both as a singer and actor, with playback credits in films like Mili and Jack & Daniel. She has also acted in the short film Spit it Out, Margot! and worked as a model and event manager in the past.

Param Sundari, directed by Tushar Jalota, tells the story of a cross-cultural romance between a Delhi boy and a Kerala girl, featuring Sidharth Malhotra, Janhvi Kapoor, Rajeev Khandelwal and Aakash Dahiya. The film releases on August 29. Meanwhile, criticism continues to mount online, with several Malayali creators echoing Pavithra’s concerns—though their videos remain untouched.