Mumbai: R Balki says he never wanted to make
a biopic but he decided to go ahead with "Padman" as it gave
him a chance to address an important issue like menstruation
through the fascinating life story of Arunachalam
Muruganantham.
The director is best known for his films such as "Cheeni
Kum", "Paa", "Shamitabh" and "Ki and Ka".
"Padman", featuring Akshay Kumar in the lead, is a
fictionalised account of Tamil Nadu-based Muruganantham, who
created affordable sanitary napkins for the women of his
village.
"I never wanted to do a biopic. I wanted to do my own
fictional stories but this subject was great. This guy's life
is fascinating. Where will you get to do a mass mainstream
film on a subject like sanitary pads? I felt it was a
fantastic opportunity, that's why I took it up," Balki told
PTI.
"We wrote it for Akshay, he is a star but you have to
write things keeping in mind the character as well. We had to
make sure the sensitive issue should not be lost (in making it
entertaining)."
The director said he took liberties in the portrayal of
the character but did not alter the essence.
"I have to do justice to his (Muruganantham) life. On
screen, his life should be even better than what it was in
real life. I have taken very few liberties and Muruganantham
knows about it."
"Padman" was always the title for Balki as that is how he
started writing the story.
"This film is not based on Twinkle Khanna's book, that is
a separate story. There are two different fictional takes on
Muruganantham's life. I just called it 'Padman' as that is how
I started writing the story."
Also featuring Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, the
biographical comedy-drama is set for release on January 26.
PTI
