“You Can’t Ban A Film Like PadMan”: R. Balki

Filmmaker R. Balki, whose latest film PadMan is yet to release in Pakistan, says banning the movie means being unfair to women and humanity.

On Wednesday, Balki along with the film’s co-producer Twinkle Khanna attended an event for the celebration of its success and to hold a discussion — organised by Unicef and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — on taboos related to menstrual hygiene.

Asked about the countries where PadMan got banned, Balki said: “It has been banned only in Pakistan. I think they have their own reasons but I think they are wrong reasons.”

“You can’t ban a film like this. If you are banning this film, then you are actually being unfair to women and humanity because it’s not just because of the movie, it’s because of a story of this man’s life and what issue its addressing.”

Balki also informed that the Middle East has accepted the film.

“Strangely, the film’s biggest success is in the Middle East. It’s the first film to be screened in Iraq and a country where Hindi cinema wasn’t released earlier and are conservative in their outlook.