Sharib Hashmi on 9 years of 'Pullu': First Hindi film that tried to break the menstruation taboo
Mumbai, June 16
Actor Sharib Hashmi used social media to celebrate his 2017 drama 'Pullu' completing 9 years of release.
In his latest post, published on Tuesday, Sharib reiterated that 'Pullu' is the first Hindi movie that tried to break the taboo around menstruation.
Sharing a couple of unseen glimpses from the drama on his official Instagram account, Sharib wrote, "9 Years of #Phullu !!! The first Hindi film that tried to break the taboo attached with #menstruation #periods #sanitarypads in India and being a part of a '1st' is always very special 16thJune (sic)."
Directed by Abhishek Saxena, the project also featured Jyotii Sethi, Nutan Surya, Trisha Kale, Kimti Anand, Namya Saxena, Paras Raj Gandhi, Seema Parihar, and Nilanjana Banerjee in key roles, along with others.
Produced by Pushpa Chaudhary, Dr. Anmol Kapoor, Kshitij Chaudhary, and Raman Kapoor under the banner of Kapoor Film Inc Kc Production Pvt. Ltd banner, "Pullu" is inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist and entrepreneur from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, credited with making low-cost sanitary pads for women in rural areas.
It might be interesting to know that Bollywood hunk Akshay Kumar also made a movie on Arunachalam Muruganantham titled "Pad Man", which reached the audience on February 9, 2018.
Up next, Sharib will be a part of the eagerly-awaited laughter ride 'Welcome To The Jungle', which has been directed by Ahmed Khan.
The third instalment in the popular 'Welcome' franchise boasts a massive ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny lever, Aftab Shivdasani, Lara Dutta, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, Daler Mehndi, Farida Jalal, Krishna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Kiran Kumar, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Vindu Dara Singh, Nawab Shah, Urvashi Rautela, Puneet Issar, Arjun Firoz Khan, Late Pankaj Dheer, Sudesh Berry, Hemant Pandey, Zakir Hussain, and Sayaji Shinde.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I remember watching this film with my family when it released on Netflix. My mother was initially hesitant, but by the end, she was the one discussing the importance of menstrual hygiene openly. That's the power of cinema! Bollywood needs more films like Phullu and less of those item numbers. Period positivity matters! 🩸✊
As someone who volunteers with an NGO working on menstrual health in rural India, I'd say Phullu did more for awareness than many government campaigns. It wasn't a perfect film, but it got people talking. Sharib Hashmi deserves credit for choosing such a bold subject. Hope 'Welcome to the Jungle' is half as meaningful!
I have mixed feelings. On one hand, yes, it's good that a film talked about periods openly. But the execution was a bit too preachy for my taste. And why is it that whenever we talk about menstruation in Indian cinema, it's always from a rural, impoverished perspective? Urban women face these taboos too! Still, baby steps. 👶
Never even heard of this film until now. Interesting that they covered Muruganantham's story before the big-budget Pad Man. Shows you can make a difference even with a small budget. Kudos to the entire team. And yes, our desi Akshay Kumar also deserves a shoutout for his Pad Man release a year later. Both are important.
I've worked in villages where girls miss school because of periods. This film, with all its flaws, started a much-needed conversation in chai addas and panchayats
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.