Interview | Twinkle Khanna on 'Pad Man': Being a producer is not part of my trajectory

Twinkle Khanna is a celebrated author and columnist, who needs no introduction. Known for her wit and candour, the lady with a sharp pen and sharper imagination, is gearing up for the release of her maiden offering, Pad Man, under her banner Mrs Funnybones Movies. Over to the producer…

Pad Man deals with the sensitive topic of menstruation. Is this an indication of how you are going to choose subjects for your future offerings?

I do not think being a producer is part of my career plan or trajectory. So, if you ask me whether I’ll make another movie again, my answer is—it will only depend on if I find a compelling enough story to tell. But it is not the other way around that I want to produce and that’s why I’ll go looking for these stories.

I chanced upon the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham when I had already written 10 chapters for my second book. I did a lot of research and even before meeting him, I started penning his story, which began with him on a cycle right in the middle of the road, exactly the way it is in the book — The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. At that point, I sent it to my editor Chiki Sarkar and I said, ‘I know you are going to be livid because we are mid-way through the book, but I want to drop it and write this story’. So, we started and within a month-and-a-half, I felt it was a very important tale. I realised this was something that would help elevate a little of the burden that we carry.

Burden?

Yes, the way we hide our sanitary pads in our purses. One pops out and someone jokes or passes a remark and we feel embarrassed. It happened to me once when I was going through a security check. I dropped my bag and all my sanitary pads fell out. I was so embarrassed. I was a lot younger, but such things kept happening over a period of time. This constant, ‘Don’t go to temples when you are menstruating’, etc are things that have stayed in my mind. I remember when I was in boarding school there were two girls named Jaya and Bharati, who said, ‘We do not like going home for the holidays.’ When I asked them why, they explained that when they had their periods, they were made to stay in a room outside the house. Their food was served on a separate plate and they were basically ostracised for those three to four days.

Contrary to what they went through, I grew up in a household where this wasn’t a taboo subject at all. We dealt with it in a matter-of-fact way. I thought a lot about these contrasts. As time went along, these thoughts stayed. I had done a column on menstruation and when I read about Muruganantham, I felt it needed to reach across India, especially to households where people have never spoken about this subject. You know that even women in modern society or progressive homes rarely talk about their periods to their spouses, except for saying something like, ‘My stomach is hurting today.’ Even if you’re running out of sanitary pads, only if you are really desperate, will you tell your husband to get it from the pharmacy. Otherwise, you do it yourself. There is a shame, an embarrassment about a biological function. And I thought, why should there be? Due to my own experiences (where I had felt awkward), I decided that no woman should be embarrassed about it. And that’s how this whole thing started.

Coming back to the original question, being a producer is therefore not a part of your trajectory, is that right?

No, that’s not the way I’m looking at it. I repeat myself. If I have a compelling enough story to tell, I will tell it. But I’ll not go looking for stories, just to be able to produce films.

You were pampered in your very first film outing because you got Akshay Kumar to act in it…

(Smiles) When I spoke to Akshay, we wanted to make a smaller film with lesser-known actors. I didn’t set out to make this big commercial movie. However, once we discussed it, both of us realised that documentaries are made on such topics. There is art-house cinema on subjects like these but who watches it? If we wanted our message to penetrate across India, then there were only two mediums — cricket and cinema.

And cinema of this scale?

Yes, cinema of this scale. Again, when you look at someone like Akshay, who has a huge fan base and whom men look up to, if he is portrayed holding a sanitary pad in his hand, that breaks taboos faster. At least half my work is done as there is an instant connect. Men, who’ve never talked about such things with their wives, are now having discussions about how Pad Man is a film about menstruation. ‘Should we go to watch it or not? How is the trailer? You know he (Akshay) is wearing a sanitary pad in that pink underwear.’ These conversations, which were earlier unheard of, are now happening in the country.

Which brings us to your choice of director. Was R Balki the first name on your list?

Rahul Nanda, the publicity designer, was coming over to show Akshay some poster.  Akshay asked me to share my idea with him. So, I spoke to Rahul, who was very enthusiastic and suggested Balki’s name along with those of two other directors. The minute he said Balki, Akshay and I felt that he was the right choice to direct Pad Man. 

We neither spoke nor met anyone else. In fact, that same week, Balki came home and within the first 10 minutes of our meeting, he was on board. It was so organic. I do not know if things will ever fall into place as easily as it did in this case.

Are you familiar with Balki’s work?

Yes, I am. I’ve watched Cheeni Kum (2007) and Paa (2009). And I liked both these movies immensely. I remember seeing Paa almost a decade ago and I was really impressed because the film dealt with progeria, a subject that no one had touched earlier. Cheeni Kum, which came before Paa, was fascinating, too. I needed someone who could make Pad Man aesthetically. So, it was a no-brainer that we would go ahead with Balki.  

When Akshay has a screening of any of his typical masala movies, he is hesitant to call you for it. Do you berate his choices sometimes? Is your husband scared of you?

(Laughs) No, he isn’t scared of me at all. I think he values my opinion. For a long time, I’ve been urging him to take a leap into the kind of cinema that would have another layer beyond just commercial films. I think, now he is happy to call me for screenings of those movies that have a social message or go beyond just being a blockbuster. 

Incidentally, just the other day, my son Aarav was writing a play for school and he had two diametrically opposite ideas. I said, ‘Beta, please don’t write a masala comedy, but something along the lines of Airlift.’ But, it’s more of a joke. I’m not the Principal of The Prime Beach (the building where they reside) School. Everyone around is free to do whatever they choose to. But Akshay is prouder of the cinema that I approve of.

Are you choosy about the movies you watch?

I watch a lot of English movies and few Hindi ones. I prefer sci-fi and horror, those are the genres that I enjoy. As I’m getting older, even my tastes are changing. Probably the things that I would enjoy watching, reading and doing are all evolving. Times are changing, so it’s important to stay relevant and not get bound by what we think is cool. The society is expanding, so even our mindset should broaden.

Tell us about your third book.

I’m halfway through it but right now as I mull over it, I feel I’m doing three somersaults in the air. I don’t know whether I’ll land on my backside or my head (laughs). So, I’ll finish and then talk about it.

Can you be tempted to act again?

The only way you can tempt me is if I get Alzheimer’s and forget my whole identity.  Then you can con me into coming in front of the camera. I wasn’t playing to my strengths when I was an actress. Even then I preferred reading a book. So, it wasn’t fair to continue. There is a wall that I live behind. And writing lets me penetrate it. 

For me, to experience emotions and enact them, I would have to drop that guard. And I’m trying to climb that wall and look over it now at this age, but I don’t think it’s ever going to fall. I was born in this fishbowl, so I’ve had to keep a guard. I think it’s very difficult if your defences are high to even experience emotions, so then how can I enact them?

And before we sign off who is your favourite actor?

As far as Akshay is concerned, my judgement is biased because it comes with a lot of emotions. So, I’ll leave him out of this. Among the rest, I would say Aamir Khan.