Bollywood has long relied on cultural shortcuts, turning people and communities into one-dimensional props. You don’t need to understand a region or its culture—just a few stereotypes like a lungi, a coconut joke, or a quirky accent, and the audience is expected to laugh.
The recent example is Param Sundari, which literally translates to “eternal beauty”, but in Bollywood terms, that beauty only lasts for a three-minute item song. The heroine’s full name, Thekkapetta Sundari Damodaran Pillai, is exotic-sounding but confusing to outsiders. The term “thekkapetta” roughly means “betrayed beauty”, which adds unintended comedy.
Stereotypes on Screen
Visuals in Param Sundari lean heavily on clichés:
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South Indian tropes like jasmine flowers in hair, Mohiniyattam dance as daily exercise, and backwaters with houseboats.
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Malayali culture reduced to decorative elements, ignoring IT hubs, airports, and real city life.
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Casting choices further the stereotype: Janhvi Kapoor plays the lead, even though fluent Malayalam-speaking actresses were available. Her accent in the teaser was so off that viewers needed to replay it twice to understand her dialogue.
Stereotypes in Real-Life Dating
Off-screen, stereotyping follows Malayalis into love and relationships:
Food Assumptions
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North Indian dates often assume Malayalis eat rice three times a day, even though for many, it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.
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Ordering appam and stew might trigger questions like, “You don’t eat naan?”
Clothing Misconceptions
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Wearing jeans may be seen as a betrayal of tradition, while a mundum can be mistaken for cosplay.
Language and Cultural Curiosity
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Requests to “say something in Malayalam” often come with amused reactions. Malayalam’s distinct sounds are sometimes misinterpreted as harsh or funny.
Coconut Jokes
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Coconut is Kerala’s symbolic ingredient, so jokes about it are inevitable. Whether in food, shampoo, or snacks, Malayalis are humorously reduced to “Coconut People”.
Geography and Politics
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Misunderstandings about Kerala’s location or political leanings are common, showing the lack of awareness outside the state.
The Impact of Stereotypes
While often humorous, these stereotypes are reducing and limiting. Individuals stop being themselves and are labeled as:
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The Coconut Guy
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The Mundu Guy
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The Mohanlal Fan
Bollywood’s lazy lens not only flattens cultural diversity on screen but also shapes off-screen perceptions—in classrooms, workplaces, and even dating.
Breaking the Script
Stereotypes are never fully accurate, even if they seem harmless. Real connections thrive on individual quirks, not caricatures:
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Laughing at inside jokes
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Sharing love for local foods like appam and payasam
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Celebrating unique habits and traditions
While Bollywood may continue reducing characters to clichés, relationships should resist following that lazy script. Love flourishes in specificity, authenticity, and genuine connection, not in pre-written stereotypes.
