Twinkle Khanna, one-time actress, now writer and producer, is making sure she gets her upcoming PadMan all the eyeballs it deserves. This includes meeting with ministers Maneka Gandhi and Smriti Irani, who could propel the Akshay Kumar-starrer on menstrual issues into top prominence.
Khanna has shared images of hers with these ministers, tweeting, “Discussing spreading awareness about Menstrual hygiene and after meeting @Manekagandhibjp and @smritiirani - two empathetic, fierce and decisive ministers, I'm convinced that the world would be better if just women were running the show.”
In response to Smriti’s tweet – “Delighted to meet @mrsfunnybones who discussed upcoming film ‘Padman’,” – Twinkle replied, “Thank you @smritiirani ji for being so generous with your time and for your sharp insights :)”
“Let's talk about it. Period,” is Twinkle’s motto, as she was interviewed for the US edition of Newsweek. Abigal Jones, who interviewed her, shared, “I sat down with the Tom Cruise of Bollywood (@akshaykumar) and his fiercely talented wife @mrsfunnybones to chat about their new film on...wait for it...PERIODS.” Yes, everyone seems to be talking about it, alright!
With this film, based on a story from her book, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, Twinkle is hoping that that something which has been "hidden in the darkness" for so long will finally be in the spotlight. “If nothing else, I am hoping that PadMan will start a conversation within homes,” she had recently declared.
In the Newsweek interview, Twinkle spoke about the disgust and shame which is a common reaction to menstruation from men in India. “Girls have been dropping out of school because they can’t afford sanitary pads,” she said, adding that politicians need to make it “mandatory that every public institution has freely available pads, like they have water and soap, because these are necessities.”
Twinkle has also discussed her film’s topic - which is about creating awareness regarding using sanitary pads - in an interview with BBC.
Attagirl Twinkle Khanna, the real hero of PadMan!
