Is Tollywood normalising open discussions on period pain?

Time of India

a day ago

KOLKATA: Debates over open discussions of menstrual issues have recently swept through Tollywood. The portrayal of period pain in 'Dear Maa' marks the first time a Tollywood film has addressed menstrual concerns such as cramps, while also emphasizing the importance of men's empathy and support during menstruation.
Many have praised this initiative, noting that the screenplay—written by two men—signals a shift in how Tollywood approaches these topics.
Director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury recalls studying in a coeducational school where he was forever empathetic to such concerns. 'I have a big number of friends from the opposite gender. They had no inhibitions about talking about cramps with us. No one raised their eyebrows if I offered a gentle massage to help them deal with period pain.
Since my cinema is a reflection of my personal experience, writing such a scene with Shakyajit (Bhattacharya) where a spouse offers a hot water bag came naturally to me,' the director said.
Dialogue writer Sakyajit Bhattacharya, who co-wrote the story and screenplay with the director, said, 'We are all used to partners having cramps and mood swings. Writing this scene came naturally. Everything was completely internalised and not intended as a statement.
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We didn't write anything to please the audience. Sometimes, we ourselves need to come up with things that start a conversation. While many have told me about the scene where the protagonist mentions that the feeling of motherhood doesn't come naturally to her, nobody separately pointed out this scene to me.
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Kolkata-based author and screenwriter Samragnee Bandyopadhyay told TOI that having such a scene definitely facilitates normalising dialogues on such issues.
'It is also because the scene came naturally and not in an underlined didactic tone! It is commendable that two men wrote the script. This just shows that all the genders are trying to get empathetic towards each other,' Bandyopadhyay said.
She also recalls a scene from 'Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti' where there was a song sequence and the protagonist played by Ritabhari Chakraborty offered a hot water bag to the house help who was having a cramp that day and was finding it difficult to mop the floor.
'A male director, Aritra Mukherjee, directed the film although the screenplay and the dialogues were written by two women,' she added.
Yet, it might be too early to celebrate since not a single viewer has pointed at this scene while talking to the director and writer when they discussed what they liked about 'Dear Maa'. Instead of interpreting it as a sign of subtle awkwardness, Bhattacharya would rather see it as an index of how normalised this subject has become for viewers.
M
any have wondered if 'Dear Maa' will help normalise conversations about menstruation, somewhat similar to Akshay Kumar's 'Padman' and his advertisement that combine anti-smoking messages with menstrual hygiene advocacy. Tumpa Mukherjee, assistant professor of sociology at Women's Christian College, views this as a welcome change. 'Speaking about these issues is still taboo in many strata of our society.
Not just men, women too are still uncomfortable about sharing these details. There is an awkward silence about this even among the upper middle class. To not worry about how the audience will take to this depiction is a welcome change. A Bollywood hero like Akshay Kumar has done a film like 'Padman' and also the commercial promoting menstrual hygiene. Having more Bengali films where male protagonists are empathetic to such issues will depict a shift in the way society normalises these things,' Mukherjee said.
Interestingly, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of such open discussions with men other than their spouses. The month when "Dear Maa" was released also saw a reaction from acclaimed actress Mamata Shankar. In an interview, she expressed her reluctance to encourage open discussions about sanitary napkins with men other than her spouse. Her son, musician and actor Ratul Shankar, is fine with the idea of showcasing such scenes between couples in Bengali cinema.
'Offering a hot water bag to my spouse is as normal as offering a hot water bottle. I am fine with that depiction on screen. I am open to cinema's depiction of men who are empathetic to their spouse's period pain, though I do not support any exaggeration or attempt to turn it into activism."