Period : End of Sentence

The taboo topic of menstruation has made its way to the public discourse and now even to the oscars. 'Menstruation is the biggest taboo in our country' - says Arunachalam Muruganathalam aka padman, the entrepreneur of the low-cost sanitary napkin and also the real person featured by the bollywood actor Akshay Kumar in the movie 'Padman'. 'Period: End of the Sentence' is a short documentary about a group of women in Hapur, India who are fighting against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation. The 26 minutes film set in Kathi Khera, Hapur village of Uttar Pradesh which is 60 miles from New Delhi depicts the sufferings of women due to lack of awareness of sanitary pad and illiteracy. It shows the interviews of people of different age groups (regardless of age) on 'what is period?' and implausible Indians has answeres like 'Mahamaari', 'disease', 'beacuse of this thing a child is born', 'it is girl problem'. It is incredible that such villages exists in this decade of digital renaissance. The installation of the low cist sanitary pad making machine and marketing of 'Fly' (the low cost sanitary pad made by padman) highlights the need for focusing on education (which includes sanitary awareness) and health care of women is rural areas. Admist the usher of bagging international awards by the commercial films the Iranian Lady, Rayka Zehtabchi takea this poignant yet sensitive topic and nominated to be the best documentary in the short subject.

Pranami Das
Guwahati
Ph. 8486686549