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Here's a Padman movie review that points out that it has been a good effort but fails to impress, possibly due to poor execution!
Here’s a Padman movie review that points out that it has been a good effort but fails to impress, possibly due to poor execution!
I have mixed reactions when it comes to Padman. It’s a good subject that is weakly executed. Yes, the movies shines in some parts but it’s a serious let-down in many other parts.
I didn’t think that it was necessary for Akshay Kumar to be cast in the role of Padman. Yes, he is charming in some parts, but somehow ends up being annoying in most frames. When you don’t need great acting histrionics for the role, any younger actor could fit the bill. Having said that, it is appreciable that Mr. Kumar chose to take up this role without any inhibitions. Surely, his role as Padman will go down as one of those risks that he took in his acting career that paid off in the end.
The pairing of Akshay Kumar and Radhika Apte is odd. They look like a father and daughter duo especially in the starting wedding scene.
Radhika Apte is decent in a role that is the antithesis of her in real life. Sonam Kapoor sticks out like a sore thumb with all the wrong expressions and body language. Be it her introductory Tabla performance scene or the overexcited school girl reactions, like when she learns of Lakshmi aka Akshay Kumar’s Padma Shri award! It seems like she was cast for one purpose alone – to play Lakshmi’s swooning fan girl. Well, she tried very hard is all I can say! The romantic track between Akshay Kumar and Sonam Kapoor comes across as awkward and forced. No laughing matter this!
Instead, Sonam Kapoor’s character could have been used to highlight the problems and taboos faced by urban women when it comes to menstruation. The similarities and contrasts between the rural and urban divide around menstruation could have been explored in depth.
The more I see biopic movies like Padman, the more I wish that our film-makers adopted the documentary style of film-making.
This style is perfect for serious subjects where the ultimate hero of the movie is not a Bollywood actor but the subject per se. Do these subjects sell only when there is mainstream actor (ageing nonetheless), young women as backdrops, a love story triangle and quadrangle and more cliche song-dance routines? Can’t Bollywood change the tiresome narrative here, please?
Padman is not a bad movie. In fact, it is better than the movie that I watched prior to it, namely, Kaalakaandi, a Saif Ali Khan starrer. That movie was like a headless chicken let all loose. There was no coherence and cohesiveness to the script or its narration. Kaalakaandi was seriously bad. Padman has its saving grace as it has a clear sense of direction to its plot despite the occasional bizarre detours.
I’d like to finish by saying that watch the movie for its message. Just don’t have too many cinematic expectations from it. Alas! Padman falls hard by being reduced to yet another Bollywood cliche despite its novel subject.
My Rating: 2/5
Published here earlier.
Image via movie promo stills
Winner of the Rashtriya Gaurav Award (2019) in association with the Government of Telangana for ‘Bhumi,’ the Orange Flower Award (2017) by Women’s Web, Literoma Nari Samman Award (2020), GrandQueens Leadership Award (2020) by read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, indivisual posts do not necessarily represent the platofrom's views and opinions at all times.
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Before expecting the daughter in law to love, respect and accept the new family, it is only fair that the family demonstrates all of these first.
If you are a married Indian woman, one of the first words you hear from your in laws is that you are now a daughter of the house. How true is that statement though? Are daughters in law really treated as daughters or is this only lip service?
A friend recently confided how hurt she felt when she wanted to visit her in-laws along with her husband but was told not to, because the in-laws wanted time alone with their son. Naturally, she was taken aback since she had always been fed this trope – that she was the daughter, not the daughter in law. Why then this sudden keeping at arm’s distance? Would a son in law ever be told not to accompany his wife on her visit to her parents because they wanted quality time with their daughter? That is unimaginable in a patriarchal society.
It is ok to want time alone with the married offspring but how does that meld into the Indian family system, where independent choices are less important than the whole family coming together?
Chhorii starring Nushrratt Bharuccha is another horror movie challenging the patriarchal standards that persist in society!
Adding to the list of horror movies that use the genre to challenge patriarchal standards, Chhorii is a scathing look at the so-called moral standards using which women are judged and turned into ‘witches’.
When does a chhorii (girl) become a chudail (witch)? Like the brilliant Bulbul from last year, Chhorii asks this question poignantly, making us search deep within ourselves for the answer. Bulbul becomes a witch in order to protect the women and girls of her village when she dies after suffering patriarchal torture at the hands of her husband and brother-in-law. Why is the witch in Chhorii a witch?
An amazing Nushrratt Bharuccha stars as Sakshi, a pregnant woman who comes to a remote village with her husband to escape loan sharks. But all is not right there, and Sakshi can sense it. The real horror is the patriarchal nature of their hosts, rather than the supernatural beings. Will Sakshi be able to escape with her and her unborn child’s lives? Watch Chhorii (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video) to find out.
Once in a while comes a movie comes which breaks through the clutter, dismisses regressive social practices and tells a story of guts and belief. One such, is Padman.
Padman is based on the real life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham who created a machine which manufactures low cost pads and became the saviour of women across rural areas who did not have access to sanitary napkins. He faced ridicule from his family and friends, all of whom berated him for even talking about a subject which is considered shameful and appalling.
Menstruation is a natural biological syndrome. If anything, it is a beautiful phenomenon which symbolizes the transition of a girl into a woman. Due to this change in her body, she can create the miracle of life. Yet, so many years and scientific discoveries later, blind superstition surrounds it, especially in India. It is a topic which is swept under the carpet and discussed in hushed tones. Girls from a very young age are taught to be ashamed of this bodily function and are embarrassed about it.
Have you ever wondered why women hide pads? If yes, then you are not alone. This viral tweet sums up the emotions of every woman.
Since the movie Padman, people seem to be more open to talking about menstruation. Still, the ground reality is something that only women are aware of.
Even today, a number of women hide their pads, tampons or sanitary napkins from the others. We ‘whisper’ to our friends when we need a pad. Or we hide them in closets, away from the ‘delicate’ eyes of boys and men. We smuggle them to washrooms, just because it shouldn’t be visible to the people that you are carrying a pad. There’s the ‘Log Kya Kahenge Syndrome’. It’s illogical, it’s frustrating, but sadly it’s the truth.