Drawing attention towards menstrual hygiene and the stigma attached to it, Twinkle Khanna at the Oxford Union on January 18, said, “I hope this movie (PadMan) becomes a movement where women are no longer held back or shamed by their biological functions.”
Amid students at the Oxford Union, the actress-turned-writer said that she hopes the film, starring Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte, and Sonam Kapoor, starts a movement.
Much like the hero of the film who overcomes obstacles in order to get a dialogue going on menstrual cycles and hygiene, Khanna spoke of how failure has been a role model for her.
“I would say failure has been my role model. Every time there was an obstacle in my life, I examined it, and invariably it taught me something about myself or the world around me that I didn’t know. To not be afraid to keep leaping is what I’ve always believed in,” she said.
.@mrsfunnybones: I would say Failure has been my role model. Every time there was an obstacle in my life, I examined it, and invariably it taught me something about myself or the world around me that I didn’t know. To not be afraid to keep leaping is what I’ve always believed in. pic.twitter.com/vWwUKLnImc
— Oxford Union (@OxfordUnion) January 18, 2018
PadMan is based on the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He didn’t understand why menstrual cycles should be something best kept under wraps. Facing opposition from the many women in his life, Muruganantham, found it difficult but eventually managed to invent a low-cost sanitary pad making machine and has subsequently began an awareness drive on using hygienic methods during menstruation.
Directed by R Balki, the film has music by Amit Trivedi and Komail Shayan, and cinematography by PC Sreeram, and is set to release on January 25, 2018.
