Pad Man: The Hollywood Take on India’s “Menstrual Man”
Arunachalam Muruganantham – Too Cool for Old Rags
Picture this: a poor village, a woman with a painful period, and a man who sniffs out a profitable solution. Ten years ago, Arunachalam Muruganantham—India’s Menstrual Man—was disgusted when his wife had to use newspaper and dusty cloths instead of a proper sanitary pad. He set out to make something better, and a glob of cellulose turned into a life‑saving pad. No wonder the Indian government crowned him a hero!
The Birth of a Pad‑Makin’ Machine
- He tried broiler‑blender dumbbells that turned him into a “pad prototype” (yes, raw cotton, football bladder, guinea pig—he tested it all).
- “I was willing to try everything,” he explained. “If I couldn’t test on others, I tested on myself.”
- After a year of ridicule—“K new solder!”—he discovered that a cheap, cellulose‑based pad could be produced from a twist of tree pulp.
- He built a machine that could produce pads at one‑third the cost of the commercial brands, and the machine itself was about ₹75,000 (roughly $1,544).
From Village to Global Canvas
Fast‑forward. Jayaashree Industries now has over 2,000 units across India and exports worldwide. Thousands of rural women get jobs, and more satirically, the female workforce gets empowered—one pad at a time. In 2014, Time magazine even listed him in the 100 most influential people, and the Indian government awarded him a top civilian honor two years later.
Akshay Kumar Is in the Game
Not only is Pad Man the film’s vibe, but it’s also Akshay Kumar’s crisp choice: acting, smashing the taboos that men still hide in the back of their minds and—and unlike “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha”, the movie about boring toilets—goes against the grain. “This film is risky, because it tackles a taboo that’s rarely spoken about in Indian cinema,” the star told AFP.
Alongside the blockbuster hero, Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor play the lead female characters—Lakshmi, the film’s “pad‑creating” woman (yes, the name takes a sly turn from “Lakshmi” to “pad” now!).
Impact on Reality
- In rural India, more women now use commercial sanitary pads thanks to Arunachalam’s machine.
- His company brings opportunity to a vast number of women, reversing a cycle of embarrassment.
- With Pad Man hitting the screens, the movie will spark conversations about menstrual hygiene in frank, relatable terms.
A Closing Note from the Inventor Himself
“We’re still the same guy; this just adds a few more people to call me ‘Mr. Pad’,” Muruganantham told AFP. “Humour, awareness, and hope—those are our tools. This film isn’t about fame. It’s about helping people stay in control while they’re in control.”
