New Delhi: ‘Yes, that’s a pad in my hand and there’s nothing to be ashamed. Periods are natural.’ That’s the message that is going viral with more and more celebrities joining the #PadMan Challenge. The challenge, to start a conversation about menstruation has been initiated by social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham and has gone viral. From Twinkle Khanna, Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte, Sonam Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Madhuri Dixit, Shabana Azmi to Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, and others, the #PadManChallenge has each of the celebs post a picture of themselves with a sanitary pad with the message ‘Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand and there’s nothing to be ashamed about…It’s natural! Period’. The celebs are also tagging others to take on the challenge. Many of the celebs are getting really creative to break the taboo around this natural phenomena.
Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar came up with the a skit for the PadMan challenge. In the short video, Anil Kapoor is seen playing the role of a shopkeeper at a chemist shop, while Rajkummar is a customer.
On entering the shop, Rajkummar says he wants a pad, instantly Anil replies, “This is not a sports shop, but a chemist shop. Here you will not find cricket pads.”
To this Rajkumar replies, “I want sanitary pads. Sanitary Napkins, which are used during periods.”
Thank you @arjunk26.@RajkummarRao & I are just out here hanging out in a chemist’s shop holding a pad.
Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. @PadManTheFilm #PadManChallenge.
I challenge @Oprah @MadhuriDixit & @priyankachopra pic.twitter.com/5IPPyCozrU— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) February 4, 2018
Anil Kapoor has challenged Oprah Winfrey and Madhuri Dixit while Rajkummar tagged Ayushmann and Aditi Rao Hydari.
Actors Deepika Padukone and Madhuri Dixit decided to go different. So, instead of posting a picture with a sanitary napkin, the actors posted short boomerang videos.
Also joining the challenge were actors Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma. Varun Dhawan tweeted a picture of them together with sanitary pad to join the challenge and they further tagged Karan Johar, Katrina Kaif and Tiger Shroff.
Me and @AnushkaSharma just holding a pad no big deal. Best of luck @akshaykumar @sonamakapoor @radhika_apte for #PaDman. Nominating @karanjohar #katrina @iTIGERSHROFF . It was discussed and these are both our nominations!!! pic.twitter.com/A8pTM67zrT
— VarunDhawan (@Varun_dvn) February 5, 2018
The challenge was started on Friday by India’s real Padman – Arunachalam Muruganantham, who fought against all odds and gave the world its very own low-cost sanitary pad making machine in the year 2004. Arunachalam challenged Akshay kumar, Twinkle Khannam, Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, basically the people who are part of the reel version of PadMan.
Yes that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. #StandByHer
Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad!
Here I am Challenging @akshaykumar @mrsfunnybones @sonamakapoor @radhika_apte pic.twitter.com/ULJuJmSeZN
— A Muruganantham (@murugaofficial) February 2, 2018
Actor Akshay Kumar who is playing the lead role in the biopic on Coimbatore-based A Muruganantham, took the challenge the same day and further tagged Deepika Padukone, Cricketer Virat Kohli and Alia Bhatt to take the challenge.
Thank you for tagging me @murugaofficial
Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. #PadManChallengeCopy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad!
Here I am Challenging @deepikapadukone @imVkohli @aliaa08 pic.twitter.com/KperUmkSGw
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) February 2, 2018
Mrs Funny Bones, who is co-producing the film starring her husband, too took up the challenge and tagged Aamir Khan, Shabana Azmi, and Harsh Goenka.
Thank you for tagging me @murugaofficial
Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. #PadManChallengeCopy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad!
Here I am Challenging @aamir_khan @AzmiShabana @hvgoenka pic.twitter.com/QXYBwVfYV0
— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) February 2, 2018
Last month, Twinkle Khanna in United Kingdom spoke extensively about the need to detach the stigma attached to the most natural biological function of a woman – periods. She mentioned how meeting Arunachalam Murugunantham inspired her to make the movie PadMan and why she thinks movies can start a revolution and serve as a medium for of mass awareness on one of the most neglected topics like of menstruation.
Challenged by Twinkle, Actor Aamir Khan was one of the first ones to join the #PadManChallenge and tweeted, “Yes, that’s a pad in my hand and there’s nothing to be ashamed. It’s natural, period.”
https://twitter.com/aamir_khan/status/959370480418525184
The actor further went on to tagged Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan who are yet to pose their picture with a sanitary napkin. to take the challenge.
Alia Bhatt challenged by Akshay Kumar posted a pic of hers in the gym captioned, ‘Just hanging around in the gym.. with a pad 🙂 no biggie!’
Just hanging around in the gym.. with a pad 🙂 no biggie! Thank you @akshaykumar for the challenge.. I shall challenge my fellow gym-ers @YasminBodyImage @Sophie_Choudry & @impoornapatel #PadManChallenge pic.twitter.com/xHLaSwt39Q
— Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) February 2, 2018
And then the chain of celebrities taking on the challenge just kept growing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BesrUObHKTm/?taken-by=radhikaofficial
https://www.instagram.com/p/BevpgomFgKt/?taken-by=sonamkapoor
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeuIVV-lvKy/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/Beu8RmXhPg0/?taken-by=arjunkapoor
https://www.instagram.com/p/BevRClxB6ga/?taken-by=reallyswara
https://www.instagram.com/p/BexfgX3l9tn/?taken-by=iamhumaq
— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) February 3, 2018
Thank you @pragyavats for the #PadmanChallenge! “Yes that’s a Pad in my hand & I don’t feel weird. It's natural, Period!”
Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad.
Here I am Challenging @sahil_sangha @Ritieshd @alifazal9 #BooToTaboo #HeForShe #BiodegradableNapkin pic.twitter.com/npMLg83jdh— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) February 3, 2018
Recently, actor Diana Penty and TV Actors Mouni Roy and Karan Tacker also joined the PadMan Challenge.
Here you go @aditiraohydari! Got the @Pinkvilla crew, @shaanmuofficial & my team to join in too! That’s us, with a pad. No shame. No humiliation. Cos it’s natural, right?????♀ Passing on the baton to @anushkasharma, @vaaniofficial, @thejohnabraham & @homiadajania #PadManChallenge pic.twitter.com/1DfHYN2SCE
— Diana Penty (@DianaPenty) February 4, 2018
Yes, thats a pad in my hand & thats not something to be ashamed about.Thank you for the challenge @akshaykumar sir my bestest wishes @twinklerkhanna @sonamkapoor @radhikaofficial . I further challenge @iamsanjeeda & @aashkagoradia to accept & carry forward the #PadmanChallenge xx pic.twitter.com/75O4xRVv96
— Mouni Roy (@Roymouni) February 4, 2018
This was barely a challenge @impoornapatel ..
Yeah, we’re boys, in a gym, holding a pad and smiling away.. no biggie..!! ????????
I raise this challenge to my entire timeline, guys show me that you’re really cool..! ????????#PadManChallenge #PadMan pic.twitter.com/TU6tTJXQZo— Karan Tacker (@karantacker) February 4, 2018
Starring Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor, PadMan movie will hit the theaters on February 9.
