Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar expresses his bold take on women's menstruation cycle

MUMBAI — Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar used the platform of the quiz reality show Wheel of Fortune to spread awareness about menstrual health and the importance of understanding and supporting women.

During the episode, responding to contestant talking about periods, Akshay Kumar agreed and emphasized on the importance of awareness among both men and women.

Referring to his film Pad Man, he said that while the film has already been released and achieved its purpose, the message remains extremely important.

He also urged everyone regardless of age to watch the film and understand the significance of menstrual hygiene.

He further added that it is especially important for men and young boys to understand what women go through during those 4 to 5 days.

“Yeh samajhna bahut zaroori hai ki ek mahila un dinon mein kya sehti hai. Ladkiyon se zyada, aadmiyon ko yeh samajhna chahiye ki unhe unka khayal kaise rakhna hai,” he shared.

(It is very important to understand what a woman goes through during those days. More than women, men should understand how to take care of them)

While care and respect should always be present, he highlights that those few days are particularly important and require extra sensitivity and support.

The conversation kickstarted when contestant Surbhi opened up about the stigma surrounding menstruation in society.

She shared, “Sir, yeh aasaan nahi tha, kyunki hamare samaj mein isko lekar bahut sharam hoti hai. Aapne jab Pad Man kiya, tab bahut sharam kam hui, kyunki India ka sabse bada superstar aisi baatein openly kar raha hai. Is par film bani, jo gaon-gaon tak pahunchegi, toh yeh sharam bilkul khatam ho jaati hai. Aur hum chahte hain ki purush, mahilaon se zyada, is baat ko samjhein.”

(Sir, this wasn’t easy because there is a lot of shame around this in our society. When you did Pad Man, that shame reduced because India’s biggest superstar spoke about it openly. A film was made on it that reached villages, which helps remove the stigma. We want men, even more than women, to understand this.)