Real deal
Pad Man is also a story about innovation where a man was not limited by his educational qualifications or his lack of proficiency in English and went on to become an innovator with low-cost organic pads, say AKSHAY KUMAR and Twinkle Khanna. By Team Viva
A film which addresses a topic that a large population of our country shies away from talking about, Pad Man is breaking taboos relating to menstrual hygiene onscreen and breaking taboos off screen. Having Akshay Kumar as the frontrunner, who is recasting his brand image as a common man’s superhero, the film has kept the anticipation level high. Which is why he appeared confident and exclaimed that even Hollywood hadn’t made a film on menstruation so far and henceforth he would choose human interest stories. “I always wanted to work in and make socially relevant films and generate a talking point but I was not a producer at that time. I didn’t have enough money then but now I can use some of it to make the kind of films I like. My wife told me about Arunachalam Muruganantham and then we approached director R Balki. I am giving this a shot.”
Akshay sure is claiming the first mover advantage. “Even Hollywood does not have a single film on sanitary napkins or menstrual hygiene. People always make documentaries but they don’t want to make commercial films because they want to stay away from the issue being talked about in the mainstream space. We have tried to do that with this film,” he added.
This is Twinkle Khanna’s maiden project as a producer and having written columns on the subject, she hopes the film will naturalise periods as just another biological process in a woman’s body. She firmly believes that the idea is to generate awareness about menstrual hygiene and shouldn’t be used as an excuse for women to be treated any differently or take a leave. “I was part of a show where an Army woman said that she runs more when she is on her periods so that nobody could tell her to sit at home or think she is weak. A lot of people think women should stay at home if their fitness is compromised. School dropouts among girls are higher simply because they lack accessibility to sanitary napkins that would give them mobility or a clean toilet. Women should not have to see periods as a reason to take a leave.”
Twinkle first got in touch with Arunachalam Muruganantham, the man who provided cheap and organic sanitary napkins for rural women, regarding one of the short stories in her book titled The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad. “So, we tracked him down and asked him if I could write about his work in my book.” But it took her around nine months to convince Muruganantham to translate his inspirational crusade into a film. She quipped, “I could have given birth to third child in that period!”
Asked how she got the idea to make a film on the subject, the mother of two asserted: “I was doing some research and reading some columns on menstruation when I came across Muruganantham’s story. It gripped me immediately because there were two empowering parts. One part related to menstruation. The other half was also a story about innovation where a man was not limited by his educational qualifications or his lack of proficiency in English but went on to set a trend of low-cost organic pads. Even if we want to give a message across, we have to give it in an entertaining manner. And it is this dramatic element that led us to do the film.”
After drawing attention to inadequate sanitation facilities in rural areas in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Akshay has taken up the task to talk about menstruation on his shoulders while on a promotional spree for Pad Man. Talking about the change the film is propelling, he said: “People are talking about the issue. The other day I was sitting in my vanity van and I heard two-three guys discussing the film. Have you seen men discuss menstrual hygiene?” He added that even when he did Toilet..., people asked him if he was stressed before the release, thinking if people would come to watch a film on such a topic, but people did and in fact liked it. “I am confident about this film as well.”
He shared how he came across a woman during a special screening who cried after watching the film. So, Balki went to comfort her and asked her the reason behind her emotional meltdown. She told Balki, “My husband engages in an argument with my mother-in-law every month as she still stops me from entering the kitchen premises or touching the pickle. I will make sure that both of them accompany me to watch this film. And will not succumb to myths.”
While many people, including the film fraternity, is hailing the film, there are some who are criticising him for talking about the issue in the open. “When I see social media, I see naysayers saying ‘Akshay, bhai kya kar rahe ho aap? (what are you doing brother?)’, or ‘You are holding a sanitary pad. It’s a sin’. Imagine some people thinking that holding a sanitary pad is a sin.”
Added Akshay, “But at least now they are discussing the issue and there will be a day when things will change for the better. I would request everyone to write about it as the situation will be different if menstrual health becomes a part of general discourse. India needs this change.”
They say couples working in the same project are likely to develop ego issues or differences over ideas. Were there any disagreements on the sets while working with Twinkle? “No, there were no disagreements. She didn’t get upset about anything,” said Akshay with his trademark wide grin.
Asked if the release date of his latest venture was changed to avoid clash with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial, he answered, “Bhansali met me and we discussed about it. There was nothing like a ‘clash’. He has been my producer too, and in the film industry, we are all like a family, so it was a mutual decision to accommodate this change.”
Muruganantham, who was also a part of the press meet, expressed his views on the film made on his endeavour. “I never thought a film will be made on my life and my work. When I used to say the word ‘menstruation’, people used to beat me up. I used to cover my cheeks with both hands whenever I went to speak on the subject. So how could I ever imagine that someone would make a film on such a topic one day?”
He was also the one who conceptualised the #PadmanChallenge. “I wanted to start this challenge to create awareness about this topic. Why should only women talk about it? I wanted men — every father, brother and uncle — to talk and know about it. There should be awareness on menstrual hygiene among men as well.”
Twinkle hopes that the film will bring a positive change in the people’s outlook towards this topic. “It is an entertaining film, and people will not feel uncomfortable while watching it with their families. In fact I urge more people to bring in their closed ones so that conversations around periods don’t make them uncomfortable anymore.”
Photos: Pankaj Kumar