As Akshay Kumar’s Film Releases Today, Let’s Not Forget The Real Man Behind Padman

As you'd already know, the highly-anticipated Padman finally hits theatres today.

Produced by Twinkle Khanna, Padman is based on a short story she wrote inspired by the incredible real-life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham - the man who revolutionised the accessibility of affordable sanitary pads across the country - with Akshay Kumar playing the lead.

Also starring Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, the film has been making headlines for all possible reasons.

While on one hand the film is earning praise for shedding light on menstrual hygiene and talking about sanitary pads in a mainstream manner, on the other, the promotional strategy of the film urging people to click selfies with a sanitary pad has been dismissed as gimmicky by many. While it's brave of Akshay Kumar to play an unconventional 'hero' in the film, many have also argued if taking a big star of his stature diverts all the attention from the man who's actually the real hero worth celebrating - Arunachalam Muruganantham.