Remember 'Wink Girl' Priya Varrier? Once National Crush Seen As Background Actor In 'Param Sundari'

Param Sundari, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor in the titular roles, has garnered considerable attention from the public. Showcasing a love story between a North Indian boy and a South Indian girl, the film was released in theatres on August 29, 2025. Soon after its release, there has been a backlash for the supposed stereotypical portrayal of Malayalis and Keralan culture. Amid this, people noticed that the 2019 viral 'wink girl' sensation, Priya Prakash Varrier, was seen in a background role in the movie despite being a Keralite herself. 

'Wink girl' Priya Prakash Varrier seen as a background actor in Param Sundari 

Recently, a clip from the newly released film, Param Sundari, has been going viral on social media. In the scene, Sidharth Malhotra, who plays the male lead 'Param' and Manjot Singh, who plays his friend 'Jaggi', are seen walking amongst a huge crowd of people. Malayalam actress Tanvi Ram, who is in a supporting role in the film, is also present in the scene. However, eagle-eyed netizens' focus was on a girl in a white saree walking behind the three stars. The actress, who appeared on screen as a background extra for just a few seconds, was soon recognised as Priya Prakash Varrier. 

Priya Prakash Varrier rose to fame and became the national crush with just a wink. A song from her 2019 debut movie, Oru Adaar Love, went viral, wherein her smile and wink made her an overnight star. Born and brought up in Kerala, Priya has primarily worked in the Malayalam film industry, along with a few Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu films. Amid the backlash that Param Sundari has been facing for casting Janhvi Kapoor, a non-Malayali actress and portraying Kerala in a stereotypical light, Priya's minuscule appearance in the background has not been sitting well with people. 

Netizens react to Priya Varrier's appearance as an extra in Param Sundari 

Netizens have taken to social media to express their shock and disappointment at Priya Varrier being reduced to a background extra in the film Param Sundari. A Reddit user wrote, "Priya Prakash Varrier's father is not Boney Kapoor. So she couldn't be the lead actress in Param Sundari." Another X user stated, "Priya Prakash Varrier looked so gorgeous in the background during a scene in Param Sundari, but it feels strange they never gave her a proper scene, I wonder why." A third commenter wrote, "Wait, did Priya Prakash Varrier's scenes get chopped in Param Sundari? I saw her in the background walking behind Siddharth Malhotra." 

An Instagram user commented, "Thats why movies are getting flopped, nepo kids have taken it over and they are talentless. The movie industry is collapsing." Meanwhile another commentor wrote, "She deserves better. From viral sensation to background?”

More about Priya Prakash Varrier 

After getting famous as the 'wink girl' in 2019, Priya went on to star in other films. After acting in several Malayalam films and a few Telugu ones, Priya made her debut in the Hindi film industry with Yaariyan 2. She was last seen in the 2025 Tamil film, Good Bad Ugly, starring Ajith Kumar and is reported to be working on Abbas-Mustan's upcoming Hindi film, 3 Monkeys. 

What are your thoughts on Priya Varrier getting a minor role in Param Sundari?

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