Chennai: There is a Tamilnadu connection to the Oscars. Period. End of Sentence, based on the taboos that Indian women fight during their menstruation and the solution provided by Arunachalam Muruganantham of Coimbatore, walked away with the Oscar in the category short film (live action).
Though the film is directed by American woman Rayka Zetabchi and produced by Melissa Berton, it speaks of the problems faced by Indian women during menstruation.
It also carried an interview with ‘Padman’ Muruganantham of Coimbatore who came up with a cheap sanitary napkin for the use of underprivileged and rural women.
Says Muruganantham, “Films and documentaries like this help spread awareness on the importance of menstrual hygiene. When the filmmakers got in touch with me, they had done their homework well. They asked my consent and I was happy to oblige. They did some field work in a village called Hapur in north India and captured the girlsâ experience with the pad machine that I had provided to them.”
Sam Davis was the cinematographer and editor of this 26-minute short film.
Ryka and Melissa accepted the award at the Oscars this morning.