Hands free: Akshay Kumar plays Lakshmikant in PadMan.

Akshay Kumar’s new film highlights a sensitive issue rarely talked about: menstruation. 

Akshay Kumar recently won the hearts of many people in the industry when he offered to delay the showing of his film PadMan by two weeks to make way for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movie Padmavaat. Many supported the actor and producer by coming up with #padmanchallenge, a social media campaign in which Bollywood stars posted pictures with sanitary napkins to promote PadMan.

After his movie about toilets in rural areas of India, entitled Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Kumar touches one of the most taboo topics in India, menstrual cycles. PadMan brings to life The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, written by his wife Twinkle Khanna, which is based on the true-to-life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham.

Lakshmikant Chauchan (played by Akshay Kumar) is a mechanic who lives in a rural Indian town. He gets tired of seeing his wife Gayatri (Radhika Apte) seclude herself for five days a month during her menstrual cycle.

She is considered dirty on those days and therefore is not allowed to cook and serve her husband his meals, nor is she allowed to go near any deity idols. She is also barred from going out in what is a norm widely accepted by rural Indian women. But more than that, Lakhsmikant has a greater concern related to his wife’s sense of hygiene; she uses an old rag as her pad, and it might cause an infection.

The hefty price of 55 rupees for a pack of sanitary pads prompts Lakshmikant to find a cheaper solution. Unfortunately, only a handful of people support him, to the extent that his own family belittles his cause. In the process he meets Pari Walia (Sonam Kapoor), who helps him achieve his dream business.

Director R. Balki intricately directed his film to convey an impressive message. The story is unique, given that movies touching on the topic of sanitary napkins are far and few between. However, Balki’s direction of scenes is slow, at times redundant and lacks an emotional touch despite the drama. No doubt he was trying to relay his message, but better editing would have brought more vitality to the film.

Balki’s message is an eye opener by revealing the lack of menstrual hygiene in villages of India while exposing the accepted norm of shunning women during their menstrual cycles. The storyline clearly has a woman’s touch to it. As a whole it is clearly seen that Balki focused on the essence of the message rather than the creative side of a film, as seen from the location, costumes and cinematography.

Kumar’s acting is nothing extraordinary, but his manner of relaying the powerful dialogues in the movie is excellent. Some of them may be one-liners, but they have force. His speech in the movie at the United Nations is also impressive, but too long. Another gripe is that he appears in almost every scene, and it gets somewhat tiring to see a character on screen for 140 minutes.

Radhika Apte as Gayatri is very impressive in her role as a shy, loving, but not so succumbing wife. Her facial expression and body movement are in line with what is expected of a villager’s wife.

Sonam Kapoor as Pari Walia is a refreshing character to Lakshmikant’s sedated, always sad personality. She gives Lakshmikant hope and support, and she does the same for the movie.

PadMan may be disappointing after all the hype created around it with sanitary napkins posted in social media, but it is nevertheless a must-see. It is very educational in every sense, as one gets to see the ancestral way of life of many villagers in 21st century India. This film gives insight into the lack of education in the country and how people there have to readily accept superstition

— Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures