Mumbai
February 7, 2018
All humans are equal and there's no reason to be loud about
one specific gender, says acclaimed filmmaker R. Balki, whose "Pad Man" -- about
a man focused on women's menstrual hygiene -- is releasing on Friday.
Whether it was "Paa" or "Ki & Ka", Balki has always projected women characters
as exceptionally strong, and without having the tag of a "woman-centric" film.
Asked if that is his way of celebrating feminism and gender equality, Balki
told IANS: "I think the term gender equality is a cliche. People are equal.
Whether it is rich or poor, black or white, man or woman, and people with
different beliefs -- we are equal.
Pointing out that a relationship is
about the dynamics between two people, Balki said society tends to stereotype
the roles. "We have preconceived notions" about how a man and a woman should
behave.
"I don't think about making a woman-centric film that way. Women
are the progressive thinkers -- some of them are outspoken, some are not, but in
their heart, they all think progressively. I see no reason to project them as
backward in a few films and then as progressive in other films."
Citing
an example, Balki, who turned from a successful ad man to director, said: "The
other day, I was reading somewhere that a mother-in-law motivated and encouraged
her daughter-in-law to finish higher education and pursue a career. So you see,
these people exist. We stereotype a mother-in-law."
Does he make an
effort to project the man-woman equation as complementing each other?
"(It is) not exactly a conscious effort, but that is how I think. My films are a
reflection of my thoughts. I want to capture things the way they are because
that is the beauty of life," he said.
"For instance, in 'Pad Man',
Radhika (actress Radhika Apte) is playing a conservative housewife. But if you
look closer, she is not a backward-thinking woman. She is just living in a
society where even though she knows certain things are wrong, she cannot change
the world.
"We tend to show people are fighting to come out of a
situation, but no, that is not always true. We don't have to find one wrong
thing in a person, and highlight it. It does not have to be that loud all the
time. It is about how we can complement each other to find a way to celebrate
life... that's the beauty."
The narrative of "Pad Man" is based on the
short story titled "The Sanitary Man of Sacred Land", about the real-life hero
Arunachalam Muruganantham, who invented a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine.
Asked if he made any changes to the story while adapting it for the big
screen, Balki said: "Yes, there are some major changes. I introduced the
character of Sonam (actress Sonam Kapoor) in the film. I added some funny
incidents in the story and some other little changes. I took some amount of
cinematic liberty.
"Look, the film is not a documentary. It is a feature
film. When I spoke to Muruganantham, I told him that I want to make a film that,
after watching, you should feel, 'I wish I led my life like this.' So as a
director, I kept the core of the story and his personality intact, but made
certain changes to make it more interesting to watch as a film."
This is
the first time Balki has worked with Akshay. He calls him an effortless actor.
"Akshay is cool. I have so much love and respect for him. He is one of those
actors who does not talk about world cinema and intellectualise the process of
acting and filmmaking; but when on set, as the camera rolls, he is up with his
best game. He is a so sharp and effortless as an actor, I love that about him,"
Balki signed off.
"Pad Man" is releasing on Friday.