Padman (2018)

Padman (2018)

Upon realizing the extent to which women are affected by their menses, a man sets out to create a sanitary pad machine and to provide inexpensive sanitary pads to the women of rural India. Pad Man is a fictionalized account of Padmashri Arunachalam Muruganatham, the man who revolutionized the manufacture of the low cost sanitary napkin in India. Lakshmi is a newly married, humble welder from a rural village in the heart of India. Lakshmi's incredible journey starts when he is shocked to discover that his wife uses an unhygienic cloth during her periods. Unable to afford a branded pad, he decides to make a sanitary pad himself. After several attempts, his irate wife refuses to be a part of his experiments. Lakshmi's love and concern for his wife, his determination to make the pad, leads him into situations that cause so much shock and embarrassment that it compels his wife to leave him and his village to banish him. Lakshmi doesn't give up. His simplicity of thought, his resilience, his focus and his complete disregard for convention finally leads him to his destiny. A machine that can make a pad! The revolution that follows...from spreading menstrual hygiene, to empowering women, to starting mini cooperatives, to a vision of making India a 100% Pad using country, to accolades, to international glory and to a final resolution of his personal life, makes the rest of the feature "PAD MAN". His journey to make India a 100% pad using country goes on...even today.

Rating: NR

Genre: Art House & International, Comedy, Drama

Directed By: R. Balki

Written By: R. Balki

In Theaters: Feb 9, 2018 Limited

Runtime: 140 minutes

Studio: Sony Pictures Releasing International

Proves quite the entertaining, daresay absorbing, movie. A well-meaning picture that tackles taboo issues. The first step for his audience is to acknowledge and shed inhibitions...That itself makes it a worthy cause to watch it, purely for the social message. The most radical aspect of Pad Man is the fact that the movie exists in the first place. It is rare, indeed unthinkable, to imagine an A-list Bollywood production about a subject like menstruation. For all its flaws, Padman, much like its protagonist, puts in a sincere effort. It takes a subject that most Indians are reluctant to talk about and puts it on the marquee, and that alone is worth the applause.

It's an engrossing and important subject - which was raised by a man who challenged patriarchal taboos with a candour and determination that many men all over the progressive world might shrink from even now. Kumar is such an amiable lead, and the feminist credentials of his real-life counterpart so rock-solid, that the movie rises above its limitations. It's Kumar and Apte's show all the way as they take one for the women's team. Make sure to watch this inspirational film this weekend. Known for making films that work towards bridging the age and gender gap, Balki's Padman is an empowering film that gives you the wings, despite the odds. The film tackles the "shame" that our society insists on imposing on periods, head on.

The Movie is both thoughtful and inspiration. The movie is well made, acted and presented. I would give the movie a 4.5/5. #Moviereviews #Blogging