Phullu is different from Akshay Kumar’s Padman, says actor Sharib Hashmi

Akshay Kumar’s Padman is currently in the making. Directed by R Balki, the film, as per the title, is about a real-life account of a man who makes low-cost sanitary pads for village women. The film has been in the news due to its subject but it is not clear whether it would release this year. 

But much before the Akshay starrer releases, another film on the subject of sanitary pads is all set to release next month on 16 June. Titled Phullu, the film stars Sharib Hashmi (of Filmistaan and Jab Tak Hai Jaan fame) in the lead and is directed by Abhishek Saxena. 

In a conversation with Cinestaan.com, Sharib said, “The film focuses on the lack of menstrual hygiene among village women. It’s about how one man addresses the issue and goes ahead. I am playing the central character, Phullu.” 

When pointed out that there will be comparisons between both films, he said, “Our film went on floors last year in April, much before Padman was announced. That film (Padman) will be releasing later. To tell you frankly, there can’t be any comparisons between that film and ours. Padman is a big film, with big stars and it has a wide reach. Ours is an independent film made at a modest budget.”

He listed a major dissimilarity between both films. “That film (Padman) is a biopic while our film is a fictional account. It’s based on a fictional character. Our producer Anmol Kapoor is a Canada based heart surgeon. This is his concept actually. Around 20-25 years back he had a medical camp in Punjab. He met a man who used to give low-cost pads for village women. Kapoor thought that he had to address this issue some day. So, he decided to make a film with Saxena, with whom he has already made a Punjabi film. Saxena developed the film along with writer Shaheen Iqbal,” added the actor.  

Sharib narrated the situation of small villages when it comes to menstrual hygiene. “We had shot the film in a small village called Koila Alipur in Mathura. There are around 30-35 homes. While shooting the film we came to know that the women over there don’t use pads. We had a lot pads which we tried giving them. But they were refusing to accept them. Still we gave it to them,” he said.