padman movie review in english

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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.

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Pad Man review – heartfelt portrait of a feminine hygiene pioneer

The story of an Indian metalworker who devised a low-cost method of producing sanitary pads makes a compelling biopic

T his good-natured, big-hearted film from India puts a romantic topspin on a true story. But 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.

Twenty years ago, Arunachalam Muruganantham was a metalworker who thought it lamentable that his wife Shanthi and all the women in his community had to rely on dirty rags when they got their periods because sanitary pads were absurdly overpriced. So he did something about it, developing a low-cost machine for making the pads and evangelising for their use all across the country, instituting a revolution in feminine hygiene, ending the toxic masculine culture of silence and disapproval and introducing a vernacular culture of social entrepreneurship.

Akshay Kumar plays the hero (renamed Lakshmi) and Radhika Apte is his troubled wife (renamed Gayatri). Their performances are likable and heartfelt.

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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 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

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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.

Interact with the author @ swetakaushal Follow @ htshowbiz for more

Sweta Kaushal has 13 years of experience covering Bollywood and regional movies, TV shows, national current affairs and social issues. ...view detail

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Movie Review: Padman

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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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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: An Inspiring Journey Which Tells Why Every Woman Should Bleed With Pride!

Padman movie review is here. directed by r. balki featuring akshay kumar, sonam kapoor, radhika apte; read on to know how the movie is, recommended video.

Producers: Twinkle Khanna, SPE Films India, KriAj Entertainment, Cape Of Good Films, Hope Productions

Writers: R. Balki (Based on 'The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad' By Twinkle Khanna)

What's Yay: Akshay Kumar, Direction, Concept

What's Nay: The film comes across a bit preachy in a few places in the first half

Popcorn Refill: Interval

Iconic Moment: Akshay Kumar's monologue towards the climax strikes your emotional chords. Another scene is when his character Lakshmi receives his first consumer feedback.

Newly-married Lakshmikant Chauhan (Akshay Kumar) is head over heels in love with his wife Gayatri (Radhika Apte). Their heartfelt chemistry is beautifully explored in the track 'Aaj Se Teri' in the beginning.

Slowly when Lakshmi discovers about Gayatri's menstruation, he tries to coax her to stop using dirty rags for her monthly periods and switch to sanitary napkins instead. However, Gayatri expresses her shock over the pads' expense and feels reluctant to use them with the taboo surrounding the natural process.

Petrified of Gayatri falling victim to unhygienic menstrual practices, Lakshmi decides to challenge the age-old beliefs pertaining to periods and tries to make low-cost sanitary napkins for his wife. Unsuccessful attempts later, Gayatri winces over her husband's obssession over a 'ladies problem' and at a point even questions his sanity.

When the villagers discover what Lakshmi is upto, they misunderstand his noble intention and dub him a madman. Ashamed of her husband's doings, Gayatri leaves for her maternal home and Lakshmi is forced to leave the village to escape the hostility. The rest of the film revolves around how he becomes 'PadMan' and gives wings to women to fly during the menstrual days.

At the beginning of the film, it is made evident that PadMan has a generous dollops of fiction added to 'India's Menstrual Man' Arunachalam Muruganantham's life story. R. Balki's latest outing is based on the chapter, 'The Sanitary Man of Sacred Land' from Twinkle Khanna's book 'The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad'.

PadMan is an engaging film which makes you question the preposterous 'do's and don'ts' around a natural process in a woman's body.

Unlike the other Balki films, here it's the first half of the film where the narrative gets a tad jarred as preachiness seeps in a scene or two. The sluggish pace also dampens your interest a bit. However post interval, PadMan picks up pace with its crisp writing and wry humour and Lakshmi's journey becomes your own.

Performances

Lately, Akshay Kumar has become a crusader of sorts with picking up stories that are relatable to the common man. After talking about open defecation in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, the superstar chooses a topic that rarely stirs up a conversation.

An actor known for his dripping 'machoism' DARES to wear a pink underwear and a sanitary pad to prove a point...here's the time when we can proudly say Bollywood has come a long way! It's Akshay Kumar's Lakshmi's endearing quality and optimistic attitude towards obstacles that make him near and dear to you.

Radhika Apte is no doubt a bundle of talent. Her scenes with Akshay Kumar have a life on their own. However, her character stumbles at a few places with its unnecessary melodramatic tone.

Sonam Kapoor's introduction scene looks a bit awkward. But very soon, the girl pulls up her socks and seamlessly fits into the narrative. She brings in her own charm as a progressive city-bred MBA graduate who helps Lakshmi to fly high in his mission. Her infatuation track with Akshay Kumar might come across as a Achilles heel for some while few might view it as a bold undertone in Balki's directorial.

Amitabh Bachchan's cameo ( a Balki mandatory) is enjoyable.

Technical Aspects

While Arunachalam Muruganantham is from Coimbatore, PadMan has shifted its base to Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. Barring a few character accent-slip off here and there, the film stays true to both- the rustic and urban backdrops.

Chandan Arora's editing scissors could have been a little more sharper to reduce some chunk of the dragging narrative in few places.

Arijit's Singh's soothing vocals in 'Aaj Se Teri' is a magic charm. The PadMan song and Hu Ba Hu are hummable. Rest of the tracks barely make a mark.

Kudos to Akshay Kumar for taking up a subject that's generally spoken in hush-hush tones fearing the 'stigma' attached to it. To bleed or not to bleed isn't a woman's choice. It's a natural process which makes humankind a possibility and needs to be viewed as a 'moment of empowerment'. PadMan is definitely a 'bravura' step in this revolution despite of its own set of shortcomings.

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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

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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• 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.
• Biography of Tamil Nadu activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, whose mission was to provide sanitary napkins to poor women of rural areas who used rags or leaves because sanitary napkins were rare. After he did not get fruitful results from his family and a medical college he approached, he decided to try it himself by filling a football bladder with goat's blood and roaming around with it for a day to check the absorption rate of the sanitary napkins he made. — [email protected]
• Laxmikanth Chauhan is a partner/tool operator in a workshop. He is against how women in his society are treated during their menses. When he marries he decides to make things better for his wife Gayatri; he purchases sanitary napkins for her because she has been using dirty, unhygienic rags. Gayatri asks him to return the napkins because they're too expensive. He decides to try to make them himself for less money and convinces her to use them, but they're not better; he tries to improve them but fails. Laxmi is then criticized in his village for taking up such initiative; his family disowns him and he is forced to leave his village. But his hopes survive and he researches how to make low-cost sanitary napkins for the betterment of women. — [email protected]
• Laxmikanth Chauhan (Akshay Kumar) is a partner cum tool operator in a workshop. He is against how woman are treated in his society during the five day menstrual. When he gets married, he decides to make things better for his wife Gayatri and purchases sanitary napkin for her as she uses dirty cloth during the cycle which is unhygienic. Gayatri (Radhika Apte) asks him to return the napkin packet as its to expensive. Laxmi then decides to make sanitary napkins himself at lower cost. He convinces his wife to use it but they are of no use he tries to make it much better but fails. Laxmi wants to get real time feedback on his new product, but not even his sisters would help him. They all criticize him. Laxmi finds that his local dispensary doctor has been transferred and hence he doesn't get any help there. Laxmi waits outside the gate of the local medical college and after few days convinces one medical student to get her colleagues to try his product. But none of her friends cooperate with her. Laxmi doesn't give up and tries to entice a neighborhood girl (who just started having her periods) to try his pads. But he is caught, and his sisters have to leave the society. Finally, with no other option, Laxmi tries his pad on himself and keeps improving his product. Laxmi is again caught when the pads he wore himself also leak. This time it is witnessed by the entire village and a Panchayat is formed. Laxmi is then criticized in his village for taking up such initiative following which his family disowns him and he is forced to leave his village. But his hopes don't die he starts to research on how to make low-cost sanitary napkins for betterment of women. He goes to the city and works as a house help in Professor's apartments to continue his research on the difference between cotton and cellulose fibers. Finally, he gets a young boy to conduct some google search to find one company in the US that exports cellulose fibers. He calls US to place an order. The company does send him samples. Now he finds a pad making machine, fully automated, but highly expensive. Laxmi learns the basic processes involved and sets about creating a machine on his own. He soon needs capital and borrows money from a local money lender to fund his build. After a few months of experimenting and manufacturing, Laxmi has his machine and his pads, made of cellulose fibers. Now all he needs is an audience to test it on. Pari Walia (Sonam Kapoor) is a Tabla performer, who is in Indore for a performance, when her periods start. But her assistants can't get a pad anywhere in town as the shops are closed for a festival. They run into Laxmi who gives one pad to them. The next day Laxmi goes to meet Pari to get her feedback on the pad. Pari is offended at first, but then is moved by Laxmi's story and why he is doing this. Pari loves the product and is sad to learn that Laxmi has debts of Rs 90,000 Pari invites Laxmi to a IIT Delhi innovation competition that carries a prize of Rs 2 Lakhs. Laxmi demonstrates his machine that can produce a pad for Rs 2, instead of Rs 11 for an imported pad. He gets the President's award. Pari wants Laxmi to get a patent and then sell the rights to his machine to a bigger firm for Crores in profit. But Laxmi refuses to do that and decides to help the millions of women in India with cheap pads. But even after receiving a national award, Laxmi does not earn the respect of a village society that views his invention as a blot on their way of life. Pari likes Laxmi's vision and gives up a lucrative corporate life to join Laxmi in his mission. The product is a roaring success when Pari starts selling it door to door herself. Soon she manages to recruit an army of female sellers who join Laxmi and Pari. They brand the pads "Pari" and sales shoot upwards. Then Pari suggests to Laxmi to enlist a bank that helps women all over India to buy Laxmi's machine, who can then pay back the bank with proceeds from Pad sales. This provides employment to women and sanitary napkins as well. Pari falls in love with Laxmi but backs off when Gayathri decides to finally come back into his life. Laxmi delivers a passionate speech at the UN HQ in NYC and ends up receiving the Padma Shri Award from GoI.

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‘The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady’ Review: Eva Green Surprises in French Blockbuster’s Less-Than-Faithful Finale

As in Richard Lester's two-part 1970s adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel, the villainous Milady takes the spotlight in the second half, though this time, the film inventively strays from the source.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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For readers of Alexandre Dumas’ novel, extravagant French adaptation “ The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady” packs its share of surprises: killing off important characters, sparing others and reimagining allegiances that have stood for nearly two centuries. For viewers of “Part I: D’Artagnan,” however, this swashbuckling sequel feels totally in keeping with what came before. Even the twists track, paying off what amounts to a nearly four-hour investment (not counting however many months audiences may have waited to see how the story ends).

Popular on Variety

Bourboulon isn’t the first filmmaker to split Dumas’ novel down the middle. Half a century earlier, Richard Lester directed back-to-back features, dubbed “The Three Musketeers” and “The Four Musketeers” — though the latter was rechristened “They Call Her Milady” (“On l’appelait Milady”) in France, suggesting a precedent for accentuating Green’s character in the second half. She’s an infinitely more interesting source of obsession for D’Artagnan than Constance, who comes across as beatifically banal as played by Khoudri here. That in turn makes D’Artagnan’s efforts to rescue her seem rather uninspired, as if he could be doing something better with his time — like lusting after Milady.

In this telling, Constance stumbled upon the perpetrators of the plot to assassinate the king just before the first part ended, which at least imbues the character with a certain value. Still, it’s far more exciting to see D’Artagnan and Milady together, as they are early on, fighting side by side for a change. Bourboulon’s big innovation in these films can be seen in his action sequences, which typically unfold via elaborate oners — dynamic set-pieces designed to look as though they were captured in a single unbroken shot.

During an early escape, the camera chases after D’Artagnan, running along the lofty fortress parapet. When the young hero finds himself cornered, the lensman plunges right behind brave D’Artagnan into the moat. The effect is far more immersive than most adventure movies, which use quick cutting to place viewers in the fray. The way DP Nicolas Bolduc shoots these well-choreographed, minimally edited sequences, we feel like participants in the action, as in a knife fight that comes just a few scenes later, where the nimble camera is at knee level when D’Artagnan drives a blade through his opponent’s leg.

The other musketeers have less to do this time around, though each remains sworn to protecting the honor of others. Porthos has fallen in love with Aramis’ sister, Mathilde (Camille Rutherford), and together the two confront the cad who took advantage of her. In a rather confusing (but nonetheless exciting) subplot, Athos risks his life to rescue a comrade strapped to a wooden cross. He too has unfinished business with Milady — which remains the case all the way to the end, suggesting a thread that could inspire an off-canon “Part III,” should Bourboulon care to continue the epic.

Stateside, subtitles tend to relegate movies to art-houses, where the kind of young audiences most likely to appreciate such showy theatrics rarely set foot. Like last year’s “Napoleon,” this is megaplex entertainment at its most grand. Still, it would take some clever marketing to transform this import into a “Parasite”-style phenomenon, even if both well-made offerings have the same quality: They fill an entertainment niche that American movies have all but abdicated.

Reviewed online, Dec. 19, 2023. Running time: 121 MIN. (Original title: “Les trois mousquetaires: Milady”)

• Production: (France-Germany-Spain-Belgium) A Samuel Goldwyn Films (in U.S.), Pathé (in France) release of a Dimitri Rassam, Jérôme Seydoux presentation of a Chapter 2, Pathé Films, M6 Films production, in co-production with Constantin Films Produktion, ZDF, Deaplaneta, UMedia, with the participation of OCS, Canal+, M6, in association with Ufund, with the support of La Région Île-de-France, La Région Bretagne in partnership with the CNC, BNP Paribas. (World sales: Pathé, Paris.) Producer: Dimitri Rassam. Co-producer: Ardavan Safaee.
• Crew: Director: Martin Bourboulon. Screenplay: Matthieu Delaporte & Alexandre de La Patellière, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas. Camera: Nicolas Bolduc. Editor: Célia Lafitedupont. Music: Guillaume Roussel.
• With: François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, Pio Marmaï, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Vicky Krieps, Lyna Khoudri, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Éric Ruf, Marc Barbé, Patrick Mille, Julien Frison. (French dialogue)

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