MUMBAI: The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. A movie that dared to break stereotypes and talk about a tabooed topic, Pad Man was instrumental in creating a platform to discuss female hygiene in the country. Helmed by the celebrated director R Balki, Pad Man is a biographical drama based on the inspiring life of the social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, and features Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor in the lead. Zee Cinema, Home of Blockbusters will showcase the World TV Premiere of this blockbuster on Saturday, 26th May at 8 PM.
Like Toilet Ek Prem Katha, Pad Man, is about the great lengths a loving husband will go to for the happiness and the health of his wife. The movie tells the story of a one man’s crusade to provide affordable sanitary protection for all women and is certainly a complete family entertainer. Bollywood celebrities praised the makers as well as the actors for curating such a great film which focuses on a social cause like removing the stigma around periods. From Karan Johar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Yami Gautam, Swara Bhasker to Homi Adajania, celebrities called the film uplifting, inspiring and phenomenal.
Akshay Kumar who plays Lakshmikant Chauhan in the movie says, “With the World Television Premiere of Pad Man, I am glad that the movie will reach every household. I would like to urge the audience to watch the movie with the entire family. Every husband, father, brother and son should understand the need of menstrual hygiene for the women in their lives and not treat her like an outcast during those days of her life. I want mothers to lead by example for their children. I want daughters to gain strength from vulnerability by learning from what their mother didn’t do.”
Sonam Kapoor says, “Pad Man is very close to my heart and the team has put in their heart and soul in the movie. It is a simple story of an ordinary man who dares to think differently and ends up doing something extraordinary for women around him. I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such a wonderful team and I would like to thank Balki sir and Akshay for being such amazing people. I am very glad that Pad Man was successful in creating and continues to create the kind of impact and awareness that we were hoping to create. All the people who missed out on watching the movie on the big screen can now catch the world television premiere on Zee Cinema and experience this wonderful journey.”
Pad Man follows the life of Laxmikant Chauhan (Akshay Kumar) and Gayatri (Radhika Apte), a happy go lucky couple. Laxmikant is deeply in love with his wife and will do anything for her comfort and happiness. Laxmikant is outraged that Gayatri uses a dirty cloth and is confined to a corner of the house for the duration of her menstrual cycle. His growing obsession with sanitation and experiments to create an affordable alternative horrify Gayatri and his extended family. Laxmikant’s war might be waged in the name of his tradition-bound and submissive wife, but it is another woman who nudges him towards success. Business school graduate Pari (Sonam Kapoor) enters Laxmikant’s life and helps him with sales and marketing to revolutionise female sanitation not only in India but globally.
Will his wife Gayatri and the other women come out in support of his endeavour, breaking the shackles of ancient taboos?