Pad Man

This is Kavita's $ 3.00 Ticket. How good it is to be able to take one's
child to the cinema, regardless of whether she is in the right age group.
She slept through this film, of course. Elsewhere, rules are quite strict and usually
one cannot take a child to an adult film.

Watched the fantastic Pad Man in Monrovia. What a treat it is to watch the latest films on the big screen here! Really enjoyed the fine performance of Akshay Kumar. Hard to believe this mega star is the same one in numbers like 'I'm an Alcoholic,' dancing in degrading item songs. And here in this film, his character is obsessed with protecting women from the discomfort, embarrassment and illness from wearing dirty rags during menstruation. It's cast as a deep love story a man has for his wife, about a man who wakes up from his ignorance regarding women's shameful menstruation. He can't understand why women are secluded during menstruation and, why sanitary pads are so expensive. Repeatedly he's told by his wife, mothers and sisters this is a shameful issue which he needs to stop interfering in. It is ironic how women aggressively defend the very shackles, taboo subjects and, boundaries created by patriarchy. His wife is consumed with confusion and guilt when her husband first buys her a 55 rupee package of sanitary pads and, says she can't upset the household budget and even if her husband bought sanitary pads for her sister in laws, this would not be good home economics. The sheer agony and shame on the wife's face too is part of the story. Akshay Kumar, a mechanic himself working in a workshop, tries to fashion his own sanitary pad. He tries to get his wife to use it, his sisters, neighbours and even medical college girls. Everyone is shocked and embarrassed. He completely ignores and even is oblivious to the embarrassment of the women in his family and community until he is shunned and humiliated. Everyone abandons him until he decides to move away. Move away to what? To solve the problem at hand and win back his family. The man doesn't stop until he invents a low-cost pad-making machine and achieves success. His machine becomes a model for a self-sustaining business run by women. Akshay Kumar has delivered an amazing performance, sweet, tender and singularly focused. The social message is well conveyed. It's quite amazing that a mainstream film has been made on what is an astonishingly and unbelievable taboo subject. 

Why is menstruation considered impure? It's part of the biology of a woman's body, part of her reproductive cycle. Where would the human race be without women and, their menstruation? How was it possible that men managed to subdue and oppress women through patriarchy and make the very source of life impure? So much so that women are not allowed to pray, enter places of workshop or interact with other family members during this 5-day 'test match'? 

I was quite angry in the end when his wife, mother and sisters embraced him, the very folks who had abandoned him, not bothered to understand or believe in what he was trying to do. It was only after he became a national hero that his family welcomed him back. I know that the plot was made to fit Arunachalam Muruganantham's life in 2 hours but as an engrossed movie goer, I still felt angry when the town welcomed him with garlands. 

I really enjoyed watching the obsession of the protagonist who wanted to make his dream come true. It is not easy to depict this singular focus and how he went to achieve his target on screen. It was enjoyable and entertaining to watch and, one became completely immersed in this journey, weeping all along, especially when he finally made his break. It is a good reminder that inventors, activists and great thinkers beat all odds until they were finally heard, taken seriously and accepted. What a lonely journey when your own loved ones don't stand by your side! 

Finally, I loved the film's music especially the title song. See it here.