Meenakshi Sundareshwar, the upcoming Hindi film starring actors Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dassani, has been receiving flak for its stereotypical portrayal of Tamil people and Tamil culture ever since the release of the film’s teaser earlier this week.
Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment and directed by Vivek Soni, Meenakshi Sundareshwar is set to premiere on Netflix on November 5.
According to the streaming platform, the romantic comedy “encapsulates the various interlinked aspects of relationships, joint families, the awkwardness in a new marriage and everything in between. When the challenge of a long-distance relationship is bestowed upon this young couple, the question arises – will distance really make their hearts grow fonder?”
The film’s teaser gives a glimpse of a Tamil-style wedding, a Tamil folk song with a chorus hook that refers to the Tamil film icon Superstar Rajinikanth, and other references to the actor as well. However, the dialogues are almost entirely in Hindi and English, with the female lead, who is portrayed as a Tamilian, only heard using one Tamil word, ‘illa’ [meaning ‘no’].
Following the teaser’s release, several social media users, especially Tamil people, have criticised the film for typecasting. Some of the criticisms that were shared on Twitter included remarks on the seeming lack of research, the fact that Tamil characters are essayed by Hindi speakers, usage of cliche words like ‘illa’, the costume choices for the female lead, and the use of the Rajinikanth references.
It may be noted that Meenakshi Sundareshwar is not the first Bollywood film to receive criticism for its portrayal of Tamil people. Earlier, films like the 2013 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chennai Express and Dharma Productions’ own 2014 Alia Bhatt-starrer 2 States had also come under fire for similar reasons.
One Instagram user named Adhavan Sundaramurthy called out Netflix India and asked if there was any Tamil speaking person in Meenakshi Sundareshwar’s creative team. He mentioned how the community is still reeling from the misrepresentation in Chennai Express, especially the Lungi Dance song, and noted that Tamil culture is not just about Rajinikanth. “We don’t need another ‘Bollywoodsplaining’ of not just Tamizh culture but any culture for that matter. Either do it right or please don’t do it at all,” he added.
On the other hand, there were also a few who expressed their joy on seeing the Rajinikanth references in the teaser.
