Top header Banner
Top header Banner
Middle top Banner

R Balki: “It’s not the wisest thing for films to clash”

The big buzz in B-town currently is how the release of R Balki’s ‘PadMan’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’ are set to clash at the box office on the same day. With both being huge films, there is much anticipation as to who will bring in the mass audiences. However, it seems one of the filmmakers would rather things like this didn’t happen.

“Our film was supposed to release on Republic Day from the outset. It’s a free country and if people insist on a particular day, nobody can stop them. However, it is silly to clash in a small industry; there are enough dates for everyone. It’s not the wisest thing for films to clash,” Ahmedabad Mirror reports Balki expressing when asked about the clash.

‘PadMan’ will see lead Akshay Kumar reprise the role of Mr Arunachalam Muruganantham whom the film is based on. Talking about the film, Balki expressed that though the film is set out to entertain, there is the issue of proper menstrual hygiene at hand that needs to be addressed,”The film doesn’t preach, it’s an entertainer that talks about beliefs and rituals that have been followed for years without much thought while menstrual hygiene has been ignored. We are creating awareness about that,” he said.

Also starring Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, Balki went on to talk about their parts in the film, as he added, “People see Sonam as a fashion diva, but here she plays a character that is possibly the most difficult one in the film because it demanded tremendous sacrifice in terms of helping the protagonist. Radhika is already known as a great performer and in real life, she’s the opposite of the conservative woman she plays. For her to get into the skin of the character was a revelation.”

‘PadMan’ will also mark the debut for Twinkle Khanna as a producer. Talking about how she became involved, the filmmaker explained, “A film is made by a team of people. Twinkle was the one who first met Arunachalam Muruganantham (the real-life Pad Man) and thought it was a good idea to make a film on him. I had never done a biopic before but I like writing my own stories so I figured I could at least write a script based on the idea. Swanand Kirkire and I have co-written the script.”

Stay with BizAsiaLive.com for more updates.