Overview
A groundbreaking story that blends humor and heart, tackling a taboo subject with courage and creativity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- uplifting
- witty
- earnest
- inspirational movie night
- social awareness viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the extraordinary true story engaging and worthwhile, while noting a slow beginning, occasional melodrama, and public-service-announcement tendencies.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lakshmikant confronts the silence and stigma surrounding menstruation while developing affordable sanitary pads for rural women.
Lakshmikant experiments with low-cost pad production and seeks to make menstrual hygiene accessible to poor women.
The film turns Arunachalam Muruganantham's real-life activism into a broadly accessible Hindi-language dramedy with songs, humor, and melodrama.
The plot repeatedly depicts Lakshmikant building, testing, and refining inexpensive sanitary-pad machinery, including an unconventional absorption experiment.
Films like Pad Man, and why
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
socially conscious biographical drama balancing humor, family conflict, and public advocacy
Swades
uplifting Indian social-issue dramedy centered on an unconventional reformer challenging taboo
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
warm, inspirational true-story drama about practical invention and community change
Movie Details
- Director
- R. Balki
- Release Date
- 2018-02-09
- Runtime
- 140 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (248)
Cast
- Akshay Kumar
- Radhika Apte
- Sonam Kapoor Ahuja
- Jyoti Subhash
- Mrinmayee Godbole
- Soumya Vyas
- Riva Bubber
- Urmila Mahanta
- Amitabh Bachchan
- Suneel Sinha
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Pad Man about?
- A determined small-town inventor risks family respect and social ridicule to make affordable menstrual hygiene available to women who have been denied it.
- What is Pad Man like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Pad Man as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Pad Man violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Pad Man.
- What did critics think of Pad Man?
- Critics broadly found the extraordinary true story engaging and worthwhile, while noting a slow beginning, occasional melodrama, and public-service-announcement tendencies.
- Which films are like Pad Man?
- Films with a similar feel include Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Swades, and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
- How long is Pad Man?
- Pad Man runs 140 minutes.
- Where can I watch Pad Man?
- In United States, Pad Man is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
