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Divya Dutta in her recent public appearance shared her regards for Akshay Kumar for creating a stir and bringing to light as sensitive as the topic of menstrual hygiene with his recent movie ‘Padman’. She believes that Hindi cinema holds a firm grip on society and such mainstream films could draw sincere attention towards other deserved topics as well.
Talking about the taboos so profound, she said, “The film has made a huge effort to throw light on the subject. Kudos to Akashay Kumar and Tina (Twinkle Khanna). People have been talking about the fimand its message, and what Akshay Kumar is bringing to people amtters. They take it seriously. Because it was a commercial film, it got attention. Usually we make films on taboo subjects, but those are made as documentaries”. People tends to pay a lot of attention to the such untutored topics and subjects when it gets associated with any sort of commercial film and it does matter when such topic comes from a celebrity. Audiences take it seriously.
Divya further added, “We are a cinema-affected society and people are impacted by what is shown on screen. Art derives inspiration from society and vice versa. People I have met in smaller towns have been talking about PadMan. It was taboo and uncomfortable for people to talk about, which piqued their interest and they went to see the film”. Although the movie has already created a stir in the society, it still needs to push people to take-up the required measures for powerful and lasting impact.
Divya Dutta was recently invited as a guest of honor speaker at the 25th anniversary of the National Commission for women, where she spoke at the #YesIBleed campaign in New Delhi which was organized to spread awareness about hygiene, myths and taboos associated with menstruation. The latter also marked the presence of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi among others where she launched a menstrual hygiene campaign and discussed about tax-free sanitary pads. Divya feels elated about the fact that not only individuals but there are organizations owning up-to their responsibilities seriously. She added, “I am enjoying being able to talk about women and women empowerment. I like to talk to people and not givea speech in such events, which makes it relatable and touches the hearts. During my speech at the #YesIBleed campaign, I said we should have tax-free sanitary pads and that we should work towards making them free. That’s when an NGO called PHD came forward to announce that they would distribute free sanitary pads in schools in North India. This has been the most prompt action anyone has taken”.
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