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Padman Movie Review

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Film review: 'Pad Man' is worth a watch especially for its social message

There are no pads to cushion as r balki's movie hits hard on inhibitions and issues surrounding menstrual hygiene for women.

Akshay Kumar in Pad Man. Courtesy Sony Pictures Entertainment, India

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

First, an admission: I was glad when Padmaavat and Pad Man were set to release on the same day. Why? Because my family – wife and teenage son and daughter – were keen on the former and I had to see the latter for the purpose of this review. Much as I count myself as a liberal mind, it was an awkward thought imagining to watch scenes and dialogues of women's menstrual problems with the teens.

I still managed to watch it alone, clutching on to another excuse but that is another story.

After the makers of Pad Man agreed to postpone the release, actress Radhika Apte was asked at a promotional event about her personal experiences related to the awkwardness that I felt.

Unusually, she had supportive doctor parents who actually celebrated her reach a major stage of puberty by throwing a party. Still, she said, she could not get out of her awkwardness until she decided to just shed inhibitions and loudly called out for a packet of sanitary pads at a pharmacy shop in public.

Pad Man is a larger-than-life reel adaptation of the real-life story of Arunachalam Murgunantham, known as India's Menstruation Man . It has called out to the cinema-going public to shed inhibitions about a simple call of nature in public where many are still finding complex ways to deal with it.

R Balki has always did films breaking stereotypes from his debut with Cheeni Kum to Paa , Shamitabh and Ki & Ka before this. Pad Man is the only one based on a true story, unlike others, though as Balki chronicles Muruganantham's journey to make affordable sanitary napkins for women in his village to setting up a small-scale industry.

The fate of Pad Man at the box office hinges on how many people realise what the fuss is all about on two counts.  The movie claims that just a fraction of India's burgeoning population over the years can afford sanitary pads sold by MNCs at high prices for much more than the costs involved. More serious is the stigma and tradition attached to the "five-day Test match" every month in a woman's life where her movements are restricted and looked down upon. Like Akshay Kumar's Toilet , this movie only brings forth another social issue and there is a sense of deja vu watching the actor using a formula that runs the risk of repetition.  As per the pattern, the first half is quickly introducing the characters and skimming through the emotional attachment that is much needed in the sensitive situation but is dispensable on practical counts. Akshay has nicely portrayed the character of Murugunantham, whose sense of humour is evident from his TedX talk.  And like Toilet , the second half is about Akshay as the man on a mission who overcomes all hurdles with the usual twist. That X factor here is the infatuation with Sonam Kapoor who carries the role of a big helping hand as effortlessly as negotiating the stage when their friendship reaches a tipping point. Amit Trivedi's music also flirts effortlessly through the plot for some relief just when the viewer has soaked up the gravity of the plot. A cameo from superstar Amitabh Bachchan is a perfect fit, as well.

The film has taken needless liberties, though, especially with Murgunantham's personal life details. It is difficult to ascertain but there is no mention of another woman (Sonam Kapoor) in his real life, yet. His rise from Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu and a first break with an award from IIT Madras has been replaced by IIT Delhi and his character is Lakshmikant Chouhan in a Madhya Pradesh setting. The movie also skims through - not a fault - what is a realisation perhaps by the real-life Murgunantham that he can fight the battle on one of the two counts. The original Pad Man was perhaps smart to limit himself to the more important task at hand. The social stigma and reforms needed to change the conservative mindset can be a larger battle by gradual means. For now, his affordable pads and manufacturing machines have shown the way. The first step for his audience is to acknowledge and shed inhibitions first.  Pad Man is that shout-out. That itself makes it a worthy cause to watch it, purely for the social message.

______________

Film Review: Angelina Jolie's The Breadwinner may struggle to reach wide audiences

Film review: Padmaavat

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Pad Man Reviews

The film has the emotional heft of sandpaper.

Full Review | Jul 17, 2019

It's easy to dismiss Pad Man for the same reasons as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Both are glorified PSAs with a superstar making a profit out of playing the savior of womanhood...

Full Review | Sep 13, 2018

Pad Man is an example of how good causes may not always make great cinema.

Full Review | Sep 7, 2018

What PadMan is aiming for is admirable and a genuine concern, but it isn't always above the missteps common to most films of the meaningful genre...PadMan has its premise in place. Now if only it had some wings.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 7, 2018

PadMan left me conflicted because I kept struggling to find the film buried under the heavy-handed messaging, especially in the repetitive first half.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 7, 2018

A well-meaning picture that tackles taboo issues.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 7, 2018

Padman is sanitised and sweet, and its message is not just to encourage the use of sanitary pads, but that with the right motivation, imagination and a whole lot of patience you can solve problems with ingenuity.

Separately, Kumar's charisma and Muruganantham's saga are remarkable ingredients for any film. Together though, they are Padman's failing and its strength...There is a lot I liked about Padman, but a lot that bothered me about it too.

Akshay Kumar's film is well-made, the writing is generally neat. PadMan is by no means a bad film, hiding behind the cloak of social relevance.

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 7, 2018

It's a film that cares about women and their bodies and seeks to normalize conversations that are unnecessarily stigmatized. And in 2018, that's exactly the type of movie we all need to watch.

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.

Full Review | Feb 9, 2018

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 9, 2018

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 9, 2018

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 8, 2018

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 8, 2018

Proves quite the entertaining, daresay absorbing, movie.

Full Review | Feb 8, 2018

Review: ‘Padman’ is India’s Real Superhero Film

The all-rounder of Bollywood does it again. With his natural and effortless acting combined with some well-timed emotional scenes, Akshay Kumar has proved he is India’s new superhero. Not some buffed-up villain punching machine (here’s looking at you Superman), but the real one who saves people. In this case one who preserves women’s honor. Based on the life-story of Arunachalam Muruganantham (damn that’s a long name), an Indian entrepreneur notoriously called the “first man to wear a sanitary pad”, Padman is a story that entertains and inspires at the same time. With an actor of Akshay Kumar’s stature, it was expected that the characters of Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor would get shadowed. However Radhika Apte’s brilliant acting gave her a memorable place in the movie. Sonam Kapoor as always tried to gain the spotlight with her out-of-timing dialogue delivery and cheesy jokes; but like always failed. All in all, R. Balki’s attempt to bring out a much-needed social message onto the screen was a success, tickling the funny bone and the emotional muscle at the same time. That being said let’s dig a little deeper to see what went right and what went a little wrong.

Maahwari or Mindworry?

Padman starts with marriage, the purest of humanity’s bonds which has been our society’s pillar for well over four thousand years. However, it eventually ends up in the gutter of the collective conscious, where what the Indian society deems to be impure ends up being, even if the claim has no logic whatsoever. Case in point: Padmaavat controversy. A devoted and caring husband Lakshmikant Chauhan (Akshay Kumar) just wants her wife Gayatri (Radhika Apte) to be happy. He does everything in his power to keep her comfortable, whether it be bringing her gifts or taking care of her day-to-day problems. However, one thing completely skips Lakshmi’s perfectly logical mind. Why does his wife have to spend five days every month out on the balcony, wiping herself with a dirty cloth? A simple and pure-hearted query becomes a full-fledged affair when he inadvertently challenges a dogma prevalent in the Indian society since Vedic times. You see, menstruation is not only a taboo in India but also a topic which nobody dares talk about in the open for fear of being ostracized. Something similar happens to Lakshmi.

When using his raw intellect, Lakshmi makes a simple cotton pad for his wife to use, he is ridiculed and cornered by the village. They think he is at best gone off his rocker or at worst a pedophile. When the innocent man asks why he can’t save his own wife from pain and humiliation, he is slapped with the well-rehearsed statements passed down from generation to generation.

“A man shouldn’t ask such questions from a woman.” “It’s a private matter. Don’t try to put your nose in it.” And my personal favorite, “A woman would rather die, than suffering such shame in public.”

Even when his intentions are pure Lakshmi is served the dish of superstition not only cold but smack dab in the face. The dark truth starts setting in. His dream of saving his wife from a life of pain and humiliation turns into a nightmare where he is thrown out of his own village. After facing many obstacles and getting pressed down by people’s mentality and society’s perceptions alike, India’s Padman ultimately succeeds in making a low-priced alternative to international brands like Stayfree and Whisper using only his wits and perseverance. This is the story of an Indian hero, and I think we as the audience should be proud of such a persona, and more so of Akshay Kumar for bringing a role like this to life.

Mrs. Funnybones’ First Time

For her debut production, Twinkle Khanna sure chose a popular and might I say untouched-issue to work with, which will surely give her cinematic baby a lot of mileage in the coming days. Not taking away any credit from the people involved in the making of the movie, I think Padman could have benefited from an experienced production house backing it instead of landing up in the experimental hands of Mrs. Funnybones. The problem with being a virgin in anything is that you tend to take every step slowly and surely, fearful you might screw something up. The same whiff came from the twinkle of Twinkle’s eyes which I’m sure she wanted to succeed, judging by the endless investors she gathered to finance her venture. I mean with the number of production houses involved in Padman, we could’ve made another part of the Bahubali series, and saved some change.

Women Em’pad’ment

Maahwari or menstruation (as it is commonly called) has always been taboo in the Indian Society. If you were to believe the Manusmriti (a famous Hindu scripture), menstruating women are not only impure in the body but also the soul. Hence they were -and still continue to be- not allowed to enter the kitchen or temple during that difficult time. Of course, there is a logical reason behind it. During menstruation, a woman is weak and in pain. Hence it is better for her to rest than to perform daily chores like cooking food and going to the temple to pray. Remember that the times when these rules were constructed there were public bathing pools and no private bathing facilities. It was only natural for people to fear that these ponds may get polluted by something they didn’t understand. However, the way a perfectly natural phenomenon is being handled in the 21st century is not only dumb but appalling. I mean a woman’s bleeding vagina is considered to be nothing short of Lord Voldemort. You can’t call it by its name (just like ‘condom’ you know). And uttering even a single syllable about menstruation can cause a decent and respectable human being to start behaving like a 2-year-old.

Anyway, after brilliant movies on current issues like the Public toilet problem and various others, it was high time that one addressing this one took shape. Portraying the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham (seriously how many syllables does this name have), Akshay Kumar and the plot subsequently weave the story of a man who asked the question that no one dared utter in this pristine Indian society. He wanted to know why his wife, sister, and other women around him are ashamed to admit that once every month they bleed out of their vagina and naturally need a remedy (like we eat medicines for fever you know) that can help them during that time. Rejected and dejected at every milestone Muruganantham was seen with suspicion, even by his wife who he was ultimately trying to help. He was termed to be lustful and a rapist. Quite common in India if you ask me. People who are actually rapists are roaming free and the man who is trying to help your sisters and daughters is publicly shamed and claimed to be against our so-called Sanskriti. I mean grow some cojones man.

What Can We Do?

But what about the 70 percent of India’s population which resides in the rural areas and have no idea there is a healthy option beyond the dirty cloth hanging on their balcony’s wire. What about them? As the more enlightened ones (even though in this aspect only) we should, in turn, teach them that there is no shame in discussing something as natural as this and adopting a practice which ultimately might help in saving a life of their household. Modern women living in Tier I and Tier II (I hate that term by the way) cities should pass off this knowledge to their less fortunate rural equivalents who didn’t inherit it from their literate parents. The taboo needs to be lifted first and then the illiteracy. Rest is in your hands.

Rating: 4/5

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Pad Man Movie Review: Akshay Kumar breathes as Muruganantham in this fabulous film

Pad man stars akshay kumar as india's menstrual man arunachalam muruganantham. the film is brilliant and akshay gives a performance worth remembering..

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Akshay Kumar

Pad Man, the biopic of India's Menstrual Man Arunachalam Muruganantham, starring Akshay Kumar in the lead role, is the big Bollywood release today. Will it live up to expectations? Here is our Pad Man movie review.

" Pad Man uddna chhodke dharti pe kya kar raha hai? " Pari (Sonam Kapoor) asks Lakshmikant Chauhan (Akshay Kumar) when he sits outside his makeshift factory in a village in Madhya Pradesh. He has just won the President's Award for innovation for the betterment of the society. He has just been awarded by Amitabh Bachchan, and their photos grace every newspaper's front page. But victory has been Pyrrhic for this Pad Man. Because no matter what he does, the stigma of this unspeakable 'test match' doesn't leave him.

R Balki tells the story of a simple man, simply. There is no extravagance in this tale of the underdog. Balki crafts a solid tale with Akshay Kumar at the forefront and women's hygiene at the centre. Pad Man is an important story that deserved the big screen.

Pad Man, the biopic of Arunachalam Muruganantham , has Akshay Kumar playing Lakshmikant Chauhan, the mad genius who left his village after being ostracised, just so that his wife could wear the more hygienic sanitary pads instead of the more common dry rags and old cloth. But in the process of this journey, Lakshmi realises that with his innovation, he can change the country. The man spends years creating and perfecting a sanitary-napkin-making machine. He then uses this innovation to empower women in the country.

In his journey, Pari stands by him. During his keynote address at the United Nations, Lakshmi tells in his 'Linglish' (Lakshmi's English) that Pari was the fairy who gave him wings to fly. The reference to sanitary napkins is not missed.

The director, along with producer Twinkle Khanna, who is credited with the concept of Pad Man, has made a brilliant film. There are glitches in the narration. But the nitpicking takes a backseat in the face of the way the story of India's Menstrual Man is told. Balki makes Akshay Kumar shed his superhero-ness and step into women's panties and wear a sanitary napkin.

The story of Muruganantham needed a superstar, needed a commercial film for the audience - however limited it might be - to be aware of the kind of problems rural India still faces.

Lakshmi tells his wife that it is 2001 but her words resonate Devika Rani's in the era of Rani Mukerji's films. There are dialogues that are tailor-made for Akshay Kumar and he delivers them with expertise.

Watching Akshay Kumar in Pad Man is a reminder that this man can be an actor too, when the role demands. There is not a whiff of the superstar that Akshay is, in this film. His understated role deserves a standing ovation. And above everything else, the guts to play a character like Lakshmikant Chauhan, based on Muruganantham. In a testosterone-driven industry, it is a wonder to see someone like Akshay Kumar - who earned the moniker 'Khiladi Kumar' for his roles - doing a film like Pad Man.

Who could have imagined, even back in 2012 when Akshay was doing films like Rowdy Rathore, that one day he would wear a sanitary napkin on 70mm!

Akshay overshadows everyone else in Pad Man. But that was what the story needed.

Auraton wali baat sirf aurat hi kar sakte hai. Yeh tum mardon ko samajh kyu nahi aata?

Radhika lives within the skin of her character Gayatri, imbibing it completely. Her chemistry with Akshay is also commendable. Sonam is her usual self in Pari, the person who makes Lakshmi what he goes on to become.

The music of Pad Man doesn't hinder the pace of the film. The narrative does slacken a little in the second half, but is soon taken care of. The romance track between Sonam and Lakshmi seems forced and could have been done without.

But these are just little drawbacks in an otherwise solid film. In 140 minutes, Balki tells viewers the tale of Pad Man and gives viewers a story to take home. And in addition to giving Akshay Kumar one of his best performances till date, Balki gifts his audience an Akshay Kumar to remember.

Watch Pad Man. It is a film that deserves to be experienced on the big screen.

Pad Man stars Akshay Kumar as India's Menstrual Man Arunachalam Muruganantham. The film is brilliant and Akshay gives a performance worth remembering.

(The writer tweets as @ananya116)

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PadMan Movie Review

The altruistic fictional PadMan is a wonderful cinematic icon

‘Padman’ is fiction, based on Arunachalam Muruganantham, the entrepreneur who designed a low cost machine for producing affordable sanitary napkins for women in rural India. The movie begins in a very obvious manner, with embellishments on the man’s naivety and his single minded persistence in trying to solve the problems of hygiene and comfort during the menstrual period of millions of women in India. He is seen as a weirdo by everyone he comes in contact with, and his single minded focus on the monthly cycle of his wife and sisters mark him out, in his very traditional community, as a pervert.

The problem with the film is not its predictability. Though it is clear that the village eccentric, Lakshmikant Chauhan (Akshay Kumar), will eventually become the celebrity, Padman, the exaggerated reactions of the women to this obtrusive man who meddles with what they perceive as exclusively the domain of their gender, goes on for just too long. Lakshmi is boycotted by his dismissive sisters; his unsympathetic mother walks out of the house; his conformist wife (Radhika Apte) packs her bags and goes back to her family. It is a black and white presentation of the reaction of rural women, reduced en masse to a gaggle of geese honking loudly in protest at the very idea of locally made sanitary pads, all the way to the movie’s interval.

Lakshmi’s tryst with the fractionally priced sanitary pad, his experimentation to find the right combination of absorbance, dryness and comfort, turns the first half of ‘Padman’ into a docu-drama. It takes the arrival of the lively and urbane Pari (Sonam Kapoor) to inject some life into the repetitiveness of the plot. She is a celebrated tabla player and an MBA, the daughter of an emancipated single father, and gives him the first feedback on his homemade pad. Struck by his ingenuity, she kickstarts his project with new ideas, and instills confidence into him. She also ends up falling in love with him.

The verve that Sonam brings to her role transforms the second half of ‘PadMan’ into a much more engaging film. Akshay, too, lifts his performance, and their combination works as a ‘jugalbandi’, which accelerates the pace and makes for a much more watchable movie. Unfortunately, this energy may have been infused too late, because the depiction of that traditional and conservative India, full of cliches that are bracketed in hyperbole, has tired us out in the first half.

The altruistic fictional PadMan is a wonderful cinematic icon, and the real maccoy, the path breaking Muruganantham, certainly deserves a movie based on his work. But his story could have been dramatised better.

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PadMan movie review: Akshay Kumar talks about menstrual hygiene in a ‘loud’ but clear voice

Padman movie review: a young girl teases her brother when he wants to romance his wife, but runs away horrified when she sees a sanitary napkin in his hands. moments like these make the film closer to reality..

Padman Director: R Balki Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte Rating: 3/5

PadMan begins on slow note and drags on for some time before picking up pace. The characters in the supporting cast seem to be in a race for overacting - be it Akshay’s onscreen mom or random background characters in every frame, they look like they were simply lifted from a 60s movie.

However, the film forces you to look at the big picture. The film tackles the “shame” that our society insists on imposing on periods, head on. From women being ostracised during “that time of the month” to young girls shying away from school to avoid any “embarrassment”, co-writer Balki and Swanand Kirkire have managed to put it all out exactly as it is. Some of the exchanges that Lakshmi has in the course of attempting to find a cheap alternative to sanitary pads seem in-your-face, but these also bring forth issues that our society needs to address.

A young girl teases her brother when he wants to romance his wife, but runs away horrified when she sees a sanitary napkin in his hands. A loving but naive wife is scandalised as her husband is “obsessed with women’s problems”. It is moments like these that make Akshay Kumar’s PadMan elevating, without being didactic. R Balki’s much hyped film is based on the real life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, called India's "menstrual man" for transforming the lives of underprivileged women who had to use old rags, sand and leaves during their periods. Despite being peppered with melodrama and some scenes that go on for too long, the entertaining PadMan delivers a robust message -- the importance of women’s menstrual health.

Akshay plays Lakshmikant Chauhan, a school drop-out who works as a mechanic. He has just got married and is smitten by his wife Gayatri, played by Radhika Apte. Minutes into the film, we are told that not only Lakshmi loves his wife; he is also sensitive towards women and their problems. The film traces Lakshmi’s fight with the society, his family and even his wife, and his own financial and educational limitations, in order to ensure women start using hygienic alternatives when they are menstruating.

In one of his arguments with Gayatri, while pleading with her to use a sanitary pad, Lakshmi says he tried convincing his three sisters and mom to use sanitary pads instead of dirty cloth but they didn’t understand his objective. No, this man does not restrict his sensitivity to his wife alone - he wants every woman to fully live life just like a man and not be banished to a portion of the house for a few days every month.

Sonam makes quite a late entry in the narrative, but adds charm to every frame she inhabits. Her character is beautifully etched, perhaps to balance Radhika’s naive and self-destructive wife. Sonam’s character not only offers marketing and financial help to Lakshmi, but also shares a modern and chilled-out life mantra when the former is unsure of himself.

Watch our discussion on PadMan:

While Radhika disappears into the naive, blindfolded woman who believes “ auraton ke liye sabse badi beemari hai sharam ”, Akshay tries his best to be the superhero he has come to be identified with in his films. Only, Akshay’s accent and tone often fluctuate between those of a villager, a person with the basic knowledge of English and someone who is educated enough to differentiate between American and British accents. Sonam plays a privileged South Delhi girl and fits perfectly into the role. She also gets to mouth some of the best comebacks directed at Akshay in the film.

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PadMan Movie Review: Akshay Kumar Delivers Gutsy Performance In Flawed But Well-Intentioned Film

Padman movie review: akshay's film is well-made, the writing is neat.it is not a bad film hiding behind the cloak of social relevance..

Akshay Kumar in PadMan (Image Courtesy: padmanthefilm )

Akshay Kumar in PadMan (Image courtesy: Instagram )

He runs into a series of hurdles: scepticism, superstition, ridicule, condemnation, and finally even banishment from the village. But he continues to chip away regardless. His obsession spells trouble. He is branded a mad man and eventually ostracized. His wife is yanked away from him, his mother threatens to leave home, and he is compelled to take off for Indore. This, broadly speaking, is the first half of the 140-minute PadMan . Until the intermission, the film remains largely true to Arunachalam's real-life story . But despite the undeniable urgency of Lakshmi's onerous mission, neither the single-minded reformer nor the goal that he sets himself assumes the heft it should have. This, however, has little to do with the overall quality of the film. PadMan is well-made; the writing (by the director himself with additional inputs from Swanand Kirkire) is generally neat; and both the cinematography (P.C. Sreeram) and the editing (Chandan Arora) are first-rate. PadMan is by no means a bad film hiding behind the cloak of social relevance. The decision to relocate a Tamil Nadu story to a part of central India is the least damaging of the film's missteps. The most off-putting aspect of PadMan are its uneven tonal shifts: it goes back and forth between being earnest and facetious, when it isn't jarringly ceremonial. Lakshmi, when he is down and out, receives a fair bit of help from a character that Balki injects into the plot - a talented female tabla player and MBA grad Pari Walia (Sonam Kapoor), who turns her back on the promise of a cushy career to become an active associate of the rural change agent. Lakshmikant Chauhan is an ordinary man with extraordinary courage. The screenplay contrives a scene for Amitabh Bachchan, playing himself, to laud the hero's yeoman work. The Americans have Superman, Spider-Man and Batman, India has PadMan , he grandly declares at a National Innovation Fest in IIT Delhi. Riding on the famed baritone, it sounds great. But this sort of ersatz triumphalism seems out of place in a film about a common man who masterminded a real-life movement, sacrificing much - his wife, his mother, his village, his atma samman (self-respect) and 90,000 rupees, as Lakshmi himself enumerates - in the bargain. As the film begins to wind down and Lakshmi inches ever closer to success with his low-cost sanitary napkins, he heads to the United Nations to deliver a talk. Playing on Pari's name, he acknowledges the role of a fairy who taught him how to fly. Getting the activist to share the credit with a woman is a canny move. It stops the film from being another Toilet: Ek Prem Katha , where it is a 'heroic' man who does all the heavy lifting in his mission to end open defecation in his village.  

Akshay Kumar and Radhika Apte in PadMan (Image courtesy: YouTube)

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PadMan movie review: Audacious performances by Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte are captivating, brilliant

Padman movie review: this can be deemed as akshay kumar’s best performance till date. in padman, akshay brings out a versatility in his act that no one would have assumed was there. not just the actors, director r balki has put together all the ingredients together to ensure viewers come away after watching the movie….

Ratings-3.5*

PadMan movie review: The taboo topic of women’s menstrual cycle has never been talked about openly. Until now! And it took the calibre of ‘Khiladi’ Akshay Kumar to, not just portray the topic sensitively, but present it in a manner that will have a commercial spin-off – a successful one at that! That too without generating a controversy. Why? Because, the story is captivating and the performances by the actors are magical indeed. Not just the actors, director R Balki has put together all the ingredients together to ensure viewers come away after watching the movie with a light, feelgood mood.

Being the first ever film to deal with a topic as sensitive as this, R Balki made sure he did not over sensitize it and maintained a certain subtlety to explain the plight of women, especially in the villages. While health aspect is given primacy, the ‘shame’ issue is tackled well to ensure the scenes do not become cringe-worthy. This audacious film dares to show the existent societal problem around the menstrual cycle and how conveniently men tend to shun, ignore or worse, snub it.

The story goes like this: After marrying Gayatri (Radhika Apte), Lakshmikanth Chauhan (Akshay Kumar) is introduced to a whole new world of menstruation and realises that his wife has put herself in the way of harm by reusing dirty linen during ‘that time of the month’. That this is a serious health hazard gets highlighted and the consequences and alternatives explained in a proper manner. As the movie progresses, there is not even one scene that anyone will feel the need to look away from the screen. And that is where genius really comes forth.

Restless and apprehensive, Lakshmi asks his wife to ditch the cloth and instead opt for sanitary pads. Given their humble background, sanitary pads are no less than a luxury for his wife and she is very reluctant to use them. But his obsession to find a solution for this serious problem leads Lakshmikanth to set out on a journey to innovate and provide access to economically viable disposable pads. What happens next is life changing indeed and no, not for the better. Lakshmi is subjected to humiliation for discussing a ‘ladies problem’ with so much ease openly in the public. But the rows do not restrain Lakshmi from undertaking this journey. However, even as he is dubbed a madman, Lakshmi’s journey from madman to PadMan begins in earnest.

This can be deemed as Akshay Kumar’s best performance till date. You may have seen him in his popular avatar a number of times, but in PadMan, Akshay brings out a versatility in his act that no one would have assumed was there. And more than that, he is able to make the delivery of dialogues in his characteristic old style that everyone loves him for. The man manages to pump in certain humility and is just bang on as Lakshmikanth. Radhika Apte on her part has been provided a more melodramatic role in the film and not that of a headstrong women that she is more used to. She is seen playing a role which is very different from what she has done before and she manages to ace it.

Sonam Kapoor comes as a surprise package though. A headstrong woman, who becomes a life changer for the protagonist, Sonam gets the second half going. But the chemistry between Akshay and Sonam has been marred by the romantic angle which could have been dispensed with. The platonic factor in their relationship could have added much more meaning to their relationship.

R Balki through certain scenes also showcases instances of blind faith and superstition and sets interesting comparisons. PadMan is much more than an underdog’s story which is just not limited to his transformation from rags to riches. Balki makes sure that the film is not a monotonous 2 hour 30 minute of lectures and carefully pumps in subtle humour. He tactfully introduces Sonam Kapoor (Pari) in the film as the fairy godmother in his life and her character is written out well.

Amit Trivedi’s music has a very fresh appeal and generates emotion aplenty to go along with the scenes. ‘Aaj Se Teri’ is a feel-good number and is a relatable song. ‘Hu Ba Hu’ sung by Trivedi himself will get you going, and the title track by Mika Singh is foot-tapping and at the same time inspiring.

This film deserves a watch, not because it is the first time such a film has been showcased but its very audacious move to deal with such a topic so sensitively yet putting out what must be shown without shying away.

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The 5 Most Anticipated Movies of June 2024

This month's list includes an animated treat, a horror prequel, an action sequel, and more..

TAGGED AS: movies , Summer

The big movies in May didn’t exactly set the world on fire to kick off the summer movie season, so the hope is that we’ll see an uptick in June. The titles this month include an eclectic mix of franchise installments and critically acclaimed names across a variety of genres, from animation to horror to… whatever it is Yorgos Lanthimos is doing. We asked you to vote for the movie you’re most looking forward to this month, and an unlikely winner emerged, so read on for the most anticipated movies of June 2024!

Inside Out 2 (2024)

Release Date: June 14, 2024

Believe it or not, this Pixar sequel finished at the top of our poll by a pretty significant margin. Sure, the first Inside Out is a beloved, Oscar-winning fan favorite, but that’s not a particularly unique designation for a Pixar movie. Still, Amy Poehler looks to lead another strong voice cast, this time joined by Maya Hawke, Ayo Edibiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Paul Walter Hauser voicing new emotions rising up in a now teenaged Riley.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Release Date: June 7, 2024

Coming in behind Inside Out 2 is this prequel to the popular A Quiet Place franchise. Whereas the first two films took place well after the series’ sound-sensitive monsters have already ravaged the planet, this one depicts the early days of the invasion, following a woman named Sam (played by Lupita Nyong’o) who struggles to survive as the creatures land in New York City. Michael Sarnoski makes the leap to blockbuster entertainment after giving us 2021’s Pig , taking over directorial duties from John Krasinski.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

Release Date: June 28, 2024

Inside Out 2 and A Quiet Place: Day One dominated the votes this month, but the fourth Bad Boys film managed to top the rest of the bunch, proving that the franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence has still got some gas in the tank. This time around, Mike and Marcus find themselves on the run after the death of their former captain (Joe Pantoliano) compels them to investigate corruption within the Miami police department.

Kinds of Kindness (2024)

Release Date: June 21, 2024

Following just behind Bad Boys is the latest collaboration between writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, whose last film, Poor Things , earned four Oscars, including Best Actress for Stone’s work.  Kinds of Kindness is arguably more challenging a film than  Poor Things (if you can believe that), as it depicts a trio of loosely connected stories with its cast — which also includes people like Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley, among others — portraying different characters in each segment.

Hit Man (2023)

Premiere Date: June 7, 2024 on Netflix

Lastly, we have this romantic crime comedy from Richard Linklater starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. The story, based on a magazine article in Texas Monthly from 2001, centers on a New Orleans police officer who poses as a hitman to arrest those seeking out his services but ends up falling for a woman who attempts to hire him to kill her abusive husband. Netflix debuted the film in theaters in late May, but it hits the streaming service on June 7.

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Review: In ‘Young Woman and the Sea,’ a true story of perseverance gets the epic treatment

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After distance swimmer Trudy Ederle swam the English Channel in 1926, she had the biggest parade for an athlete in New York City — ever. As the first woman to swim the channel, she effectively paved the way for the future of women’s sports. So why isn’t she more of a household name? The new biopic “Young Woman and the Sea” seeks to change that, re-establishing Ederle as a world-changing icon.

This rousing sports biopic is a throwback to the kinds of inspiring underdog stories we love, like “Rudy” but with a girl-power feminist bent and a woman-against-nature theme. Daisy Ridley plays the sunnily determined Trudy, and the film is filled with a supporting cast of charming characters who offer pops of humor and heart. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it’s a triumphant, emotional sports movie akin to his “Remember the Titans” and “Glory Road.”

Norwegian director Joachim Rønning tackles Trudy’s life story with a script by Jeff Nathanson, adapted from the 2009 account “Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World” by Glenn Stout. (Rønning and co-director Espen Sandberg also made the oceanic adventure film “Kon-Tiki,” which could have been titled “Young Men and the Sea.”) These filmmakers clearly have a knack for capturing nautical adventure and the delusional yet undeniably human desire to conquer the seas.

But plunge below the surface, and there’s so much more to this story than just that of a strong young woman who completed an incredibly dangerous and challenging feat of athleticism and mental fortitude against all odds. While she’s stroking across the channel, there’s an ingenious subplot that speaks to larger ideas and movements that are animated by Trudy’s story. Boats filled with reporters chase after her, tossing back bottles filled with their missives written on slips of paper, which are fished out of the water and attached to messenger pigeons that deliver them to a French hotel in Cap Gris-Nez and read aloud, then reported via telegram to radio stations around the world, who broadcast the news all the way back to Trudy’s anxious family in New York City. This isn’t just the story of a young woman doing the seemingly impossible — it’s a mass media story taking place in a newly globalized world that’s collectively listening with bated breath.

That representational burden is a continually simmering undercurrent in “Young Woman and the Sea.” Trudy knows it’s her visibility that will change the world, not just the simple act of swimming the channel. Her coach, Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston), pushed upon her by her sponsor, James Sullivan (Glenn Fleshler), forces her to diet, concerned with how she’ll look in photographs; her two-piece swimsuit, redesigned for comfort, causes a sensation among the French press. But it’s her stardom that makes her a hero to the young girls who ask for her autograph among the crowds of journalists, and has the potential to change the trajectory of women’s sports.

Trudy’s swim inspires the whole world, including her hometown of New York City, the tenement buildings filled with immigrants listening to her journey on the radio. It’s a reminder of how we are compelled by narratives of human striving and triumph. From Sunday football to the Olympic Games, collectively watching and sharing these stories knits us together. The Paris Olympics this summer are, in fact, the centennial anniversary of the Games in which Trudy competed in 1924.

The broad storytelling calls back to a kind of retro filmmaking based on pure sensation and emotion, in which we cheer for the heroes and jeer for the villains. There isn’t a whole lot of nuance in some of the characterizations. Eccleston and Fleshler essentially play dastardly mustache-twirling Snidely Whiplash types, their characters’ nakedly evil motivations for sabotaging Trudy unexplored. But not all men who are threatened by her endeavor. She wins over other swimmers with her moxie, including iconic channel swimmer Bill Burgess (a standout Stephen Graham), who eventually coaches her.

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Among the terrific supporting characters are Trudy’s German immigrant parents, with Danish actor Kim Bodnia playing Trudy’s father, a gruff, protective but ultimately supportive butcher, and German actor Jeanette Hain, who nearly steals the whole movie as Trudy’s steely, ethereal mother Gertrud. She insists that her girls, Trudy and her sister, Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), learn to swim in the wake of a steamboat tragedy in which hundreds of women died, saying that her daughters will never “stand on a burning ship.” But Gertrud also discovers that empowering them leads to glories — and dangers — she never imagined.

There is an old-fashioned yet modern beauty and grandeur to Rønning’s style here, which is meticulously produced and costume-designed, and shot with sweeping, epic camera movements by Oscar Faura, yet edited with a swift narrative efficiency by Úna Ní Dhonghaíle. Set to a triumphal score by Amelia Warner, there’s a hint of Bruckheimer’s “Pirates of the Caribbean”-style jauntiness to the powerful orchestration that adds to the sense of melodrama at play.

Ultimately, this is a tale of one young woman and the sea, and it’s Trudy’s experience that Ridley capably inhabits. Take away all the reporters, the doubters, the concerned family members, the coaches, her beloved sister and everyone watching around the world. In the dark of night it’s just Trudy, alone in the ocean, and that story of determination is worth celebrating and remembering.

'Young Woman and the Sea'

Rating: PG, for thematic elements, some language and partial nudity Running time: 2 hours, 9 minutes Playing: In wide release

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‘young woman and the sea’ review: daisy ridley in paint-by-numbers inspirational biopic.

The 'Star Wars' and 'Magpie' actress faces the seas in Joachim Ronning's portrait of Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

By Lovia Gyarkye

Lovia Gyarkye

Arts & Culture Critic

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Gertrude Ederle loved the water. “To me, the sea is like a person — like a child I’ve known a long time,” she once said . “ I never feel alone when I’m out there.”  

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Like all trailblazers, Ederle’s story began with obstacles and hostility, many of which director Joachim Rønning accords appropriate levels of respect in Young Woman and the Sea . The serviceable feature, whose screenplay is written by Jeff Nathanson, based on the book of the same name by Glenn Stout, traces Ederle’s inspiring journey from childhood swims around the Coney Island pier to her defining confrontation with the English Channel waves. 

Rønning, a frequent Disney director whose credits include Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (with Espen Sandberg), leans hard into the uplifting notes of the film. A soaring, string-heavy score composed by Amelia Warner assumes the role of emotional supervisor early on, calibrating our mood to triumph and tragedy.

There’s no shortage of shots (DP Oscar Faura) of Ridley, staring across bodies of water with awe and severity. Her shoulders rounded, poised to dive at a moment’s notice. While there’s some poignancy to these bits, most of the emotional profundity is undercut by Nathanson’s by-the-book screenplay. The delicate dramatic threads and subtext of Ederle’s life, then, like Netflix’s recent Nyad , become subsumed by Young Woman and the Sea ’s blunt approach to storytelling.

The action in Young Woman and the Sea properly kicks off when Gertrude enrolls Trudy and her sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) in competitive swim lessons as soon as women are allowed. A critical thread throughout Rønning’s film is the instrumental role Trudy’s mother had in her life. The two share a similar kind of determination, with neither of them willing to take no for an answer.

Trudy doesn’t give up when Charlotte Epstein (Sian Clifford), the women’s swim coach who goes by Eppy, initially doesn’t let her practice with the other girls. Instead, she petitions for an opportunity and eventually becomes the best swimmer on the team.

Ridley holds her own as Trudy. She plays the character’s awkwardness and introversion in a way that recalls the protagonist of Sometimes I Think About Dying . The actress gives a convincing physical performance, too, both in the water (with the help of some doubles) and on land. 

The accolades soon start coming. Trudy wins local competitions and national ones. Eventually, she’s invited to join the U.S. women’s Olympic team and compete in Paris. These experiences sharpen her own visions for herself. As Trudy nurses a dream of swimming the English Channel, her sister Meg conforms to expectations of her time. She stops swimming, agrees to an arranged marriage and begins working at the family butcher shop.

The movie maintains a steady pacing, but it really picks up once Trudy embarks on her record-breaking journey. Her first attempt to cross the rough expanse is thwarted by a jealous coach (Jabez Wolffe) and the sexist president of the athletic union (Glenn Fleshler). Trudy finds a partner in Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham), an eccentric man who successfully crossed the Channel. There’s a spark when Ridley is on screen with Graham. Their shared moments clarify different layers of Trudy’s personality, especially the part of her that embraces challenge.

Those scenes are among the few times when Young Woman and the Sea overcomes its wooden narrative. The overworked screenplay doesn’t strip the film of all its merits — there’s plenty here in terms of uplift and inspiration for most audiences — but it does make one wonder about a version of this project that embodied the fluidity Ederle felt in the water.

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Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round. Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round. Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round.

• Susumu Mitsunaka
• Haruichi Furudate
• Ayumu Murase
• Kaito Ishikawa
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• Shôyô Hinata
• Tobio Kageyama

• Kenma Kozume

• Tetsurô Kuroo

• Kei Tsukishima

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• Keishin Ukai

• Young Tetsuro Kuroo

• Yasufumi Nekomata
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• Feb 25, 2024
• May 31, 2024 (United States)
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• Jun 2, 2024
• $80,185,015

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• Runtime 1 hour 25 minutes
• Dolby Digital
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