- Critics Rating - 7.7/107.7/10
Padman Movie Review
Everybody knows what shouldn’t be spoken about and then somebody not just talks about it openly but also dedicates his life towards that which is not spoken about. That’s Lakshmi Kant Chauhan for you who is astonished when he comes to know exceedingly sorely is her wife and the women of the house are dealing during their menstrual period termed as ‘paanch din ka test match’ by the boys of the street. A special mention to Twinkle khanna and Akshay Kumar to convey such a topic in mainstream cinema and fuel it with his stardom and make it reach to the rest of the 92% of the mass which is wither oblivious or skeptical about using sanitary pads, which is constantly pointed out in the movie Padman. To celebrate out of the box thinking, innovation and breaking stereotypes is the motive of the movie.
And here comes a different love story where a man empathize with women. He understands the problem to the very depth, faces all kinds of odds and comes up as a role model about whom everyone talks about. Lakshmikant pandey the fictionalized version of Arunachalam muruganantham played by Akshay Kumar with so much dedication and conviction that it touches you. Akshay Kumar has worked on every aspect of his acting, be it dialogue delivery, handling serious scenes to maneuvering a pivotal speech scene quite masterfully. Sonam Kapoor is able to do justice as an independent strong women who falls for the passion of Lakshmi and is compassionate but also practical when it comes to accepting heart breaks. Radhika apte does her effortless acting and emotes the acceptance every stigma and dogmas while saying “Aurat ke liye beemari se marna sharm ke sath jeene se behtar hay”. Evidently, the dialogues are written in accord with the story and that’s why sometimes sound preachy and informative which might not be well received by the single screen audience.
Since the screenplay of the film is based on a true story if a social entrepreneur, its difficult to be fictionalized and its apparent in the screenplay. Speaking of the story it tells a tale about an obstinate adamant hope and perseverance and perfectly conveys the message. One of the messages where english is demonstrated as just a language and not a sign of intelligence is quite thoughtful and smart of the director. Which is why R balki was a good choice as a director because R balki is way too obsessively innovative with innovations and stories about hope (which is also the name of his production house) told in a light hearted mood which leaves you with a question in the mind. The journey of Lakshmi from his village to UN is handled and shown in a linear, simple yet powerful way.
The frames and cinematography are life-like and evokes the essence of both rural India to foreign locations. At time the film seem to be jumping and taking big leaps according to the time and that’s why the romantic arc between Lakshmi and Pari( Sonam Kapoor) seems hasty and forced. Its a film that strikes the right chord. The strongest part about the film is its lively light hearted mood of a worth telling story of passion studded with occasional strokes of good direction and acting. This isn’t a masala entertainer but is definitely an entertainer which might leave you with some questions to take back home and definitely makes it a one time watch.
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