PADMAN- Reviews, Box Office, Discussions. - Page 6

Posted: 6 years ago

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Pad Man

Rating: 2.5

February 09, 2018

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte, Sonam Kapoor

Director: R Balki

How do you make a mainstream film with a message about menstrual hygiene? Simple. If you're Akshay Kumar, you stick to the template of your last hit a film with a message about the hazards of open defecation.

Like Toilet Ek Prem Katha, Akshay's latest, Pad Man, is about the great lengths a loving husband will go to for the happiness and the health of his wife. Like that film it employs humor to ease the fuss around age-old taboos, and as it turns out, it suffers from the same malaise that crippled Toilet  it's well intentioned but let down by clunky execution.

Which is a shame. Because Pad Man, directed and co-written by R Balki, deserves credit for addressing a subject that Indians find even harder to talk about than sauch and sandas.

Lakshmikant Chauhan, a humble mechanic in a small town in Madhya Pradesh, becomes obsessed with finding an affordable alternate to the expensive sanitary pads available in medical shops when he learns about the health risks posed by the scraps of cloth his wife reuses every month. Played by the film's leading man this character is based on Arunachalam Muruganantham, the country's real Menstrual Man' from Coimbatore, a school-dropout who invented a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine, and who is credited with creating awareness about menstrual hygiene in rural India.

Akshay plays him as a man possessed. Whose every waking moment is spent thinking of, or talking about sanitary pads, or assembling his own home-made versions. Given the stigma and the embarrassment attached to menstruation, his single-minded obsession earns him the contempt of his townsfolk. The word sharm' is bandied about countless times by his hapless wife Gayatri (Radhika Apte), who can't understand why he won't just let it go. "Aurat ke pairon ke beech kyon phansi hai aapki jaan? she asks him, confused, ashamed and upset, all at once.

There is no question that Pad Man tells an inspirational story that deserves to be heard. The statistics around menstruation are alarming; according to the film, only 12 per cent of the female population in India uses sanitary napkins, the rest likely resort to options that make them susceptible to fatal infections. Any film that mainstreams' this conversation especially one starring a big Bollywood actor is worthy of praise. But Pad Man quickly becomes something between a Public Service Advertisement and an MBA course case study. If Toilet Ek Prem Katha shrewdly attached itself to the Prime Minister's beloved Swachh Bharat campaign, then this film which shows in minute detail how our protagonist assembled his revolutionizing sanitary pad machine fits nicely with the Make in India initiative. At one point, a superstar even makes a cameo to deliver a speech on the innovative spirit of Indians.

The writing, by Balki and Swanand Kirkire, starts out sharp and funny, but quickly becomes heavy-handed and repetitive. Sonam Kapoor's character Pari, a management student and an expert tabla player who helps Lakshmi realize his dream, seems to have been created only for politically correct reasons. But then an awkward romantic angle in the film's final act undoes its own design.

All of this is especially frustrating, because there's so much to appreciate in the film. I found myself fully invested in the relationship between Akshay and Radhika's characters because both actors bring genuine heartfelt emotion to their scenes together. Akshay plays a refreshingly progressive man in an orthodox town, and he invests Lakshmi with winning earnestness. His big speech at the United Nations is funny and charming, although a bit long.

In the end Pad Man is admirable and has its heart in the right place, but it might have benefitted from a less sermonizing tone. I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five.


Rajeev Masand

Posted: 6 years ago
. Edited by SrideviFan4ever - 5 years ago
Posted: 6 years ago

PadMan Movie Review : It Will Leave A Long Lasting Impact On Everyone Especially Men, Akshay Kumar And Radhika Apte Shine Throughout

Published on February 8, 2018

We just saw Pad Man and we are not getting over it any sooner. Directed by the genius R Balki who has made stupendous movies like Cheeni Kum, Paa etc in the last, Pad Man is another masterpiece by him. Dealing with the very crucial yet ignored social issue of menstrual hygiene of women in India, the film has tried it's level best to deal with the problem in a mature and satirical way, Padman scores big in terms of being the most socially relevant film in the recent past putting it in the category of films like Pink, TEPK etc. The movie is inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham who has won Padma Shri for his social activism & inventions.

Akshay Kumar plays the character of Laxmikant Chauhan who lives in a small village in Madhya Pradesh with his wife Gayatri played by Radhika Apte, his mother and sisters. He is not much qualified and works in a workshop to sustain his and his family's livelihood. When he comes to know about his wife using dirty clothes whenever she is chumming, he gets determined for finding a permanent & healthy plus hygienic solution for the women of her family. Focussed yet without a practical solution & guidance, Laxmi tries all ways to convince his wife & other women to try the pad he made but because it is seen in such a bad light and as it is such a big taboo of men talking forget giving pads to women, he is soon after disgusted in the whole village. After his countless but failed attempts, Laxmi leaves the village after he is ridiculed by the whole village just before Gayatri's family decides to take her away from him. He goes to a village near Indore and starts working on his invention where he meets Sonam Kapoor who plays an MBA student, Rhea whom he accidentally gives a pad he invented in her needy time. After getting to know about Laxmi's vision, she helps him to take his dream further by making him take part in a competition which he eventually wins and gets funded for expanding his brilliant idea. Inspired by this turn up of events, Laxmi with Rhea's help starts providing cheap sanitary pads to all parts of the nation and even outside India. He returns proudly to the village and gets the much-needed validation, respect and the love of her life, Gayatri.

Coming to the performances, Akshay Kumar as Laxmi is the life of the film. The actor will make you laugh and cry all at the same time and here is where he scores as an actor yet again after TEPK. Easily the solo actor responsible for bringing major awareness for socially relevant issues of our nation and bringing a large change, Kumar once again plays his role beautifully and honestly. His heartfelt speech in the film will move you and his performance will make you go all mushy. He proves he is the real man of B-Town by doing this film and bringing it out. Radhika Apte has delivered a kickass and surreal performance playing a woman who is old school and regressive, ie, playing a total opposite of what she is in real life. She looks beautiful and you will fall in love with her innocence. Sonam Kapoor as Rhea gives a mature performance where she looks confident, outspoken and adds the right amount of progressiveness in the film. The actress is very believable in what she did and has shunned her critics.

The real winner, nevertheless, is R Balki who directed the movie with such perfection and the noble perception that you will have to laud him for his brilliant effort. A topic which has never been made into a full-length feature film needs guts and he has kept the movie fast-paced, hard-hitting on both the heart and the brain and has made it really enjoyable & entertaining. The music is soulful and melodious proving yet again why Amit Trivedi can be the next AR Rahman. The cinematography in the film needs a special mention and is crafted very effectively. We will want you all to go watch this film, especially with the full family this coming weekend as it needs to be seen with everyone no matter what.

Our rating: 4/5

Posted: 6 years ago
Sonam Kapoor Russia @SonamKapoorFCRu 
Plus

"Sonam Kapoor is marvellous. Her performance is the best of her career till date. Yes, she is better than she was in Neerja," -

 Spotboye "Sonam Kapoor lights up the screen with her candour and makes her presence felt in a significant role," - Times Of India

Edited by Maraka_Musso89 - 6 years ago
Posted: 6 years ago
OUTSTANDING!!! @PadManTheFilm is one of the finest films made on a social issue in recent times. Flawless performance by @akshaykumar He is the real superhero! @sonamakapoor is like a beautiful angel'. Loved your effortless act. So natural & real!! #Padman https://t.co/a2dFyQNxPp
Posted: 6 years ago
Rajesh Konsam   @RajeshKonsam
SuivreSuivre @RajeshKonsam
Plus

I knew @sonamakapoor 's character would be well-written but I didn't know there will be a hell lot of surprises. Sonam gets better and better. A job that exceeds expectations. #PadMan #PadmanReview

Posted: 6 years ago
BOI said opening of 9-10 crores producers will inflate it to arnd 11/12 cr i guess
Posted: 6 years ago
Originally posted by -RD-


BOI said opening of 9-10 crores producers will inflate it to arnd 11/12 cr i guess


 
Har movie ka yahi hai BOI ka figure aur Producer figure kabhi nahi milta kisi ke jayda jhol kisi ka kam ðŸ˜‰
Posted: 6 years ago
taran adarshVerified account @taran_adarsh 
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#PadMan has a DECENT start... Fri 10.26 cr... The biz, expectedly, picked up towards evening/night shows... The journey ahead is crucial... Sat + Sun should witness strong growth for a good weekend total... India biz.

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