PadMan is admirable and has its heart in the right place, but it might have benefited from a less sermonizing tone.

PadMan isn’t a particularly good film. It has tonal problems, swinging between commonplace-ness and flat-out filmi-ness, because it is trying to appeal to many constituencies at the same time.

Many films about relevant, important subjects are not actually good movies. R Balki’s PadMan, which features an extraordinary true-life story brought to the screen featuring Akshay Kumar is both a strong film and one that needs to be watched

Pad Man, a superman without the cape, is a memorable character. Like the real Pad Man, Lakshmi is self-deprecating and very funny – especially in the climactic speech at the United Nations. I wish the film matched his sparkle.

Akshay Kumar’s superhero swoops in and de-stigmatises menstrual hygiene without making the film feel stodgy or heavy handed.

Akshay Kumar’s well-padded ego trip…Problem is that Akshay Kumar is too obviously driven by the later — egoistic, self-promotion instinct.

PadMan is watchable for its exceptional subject. Don’t expect it to be a fancy commercial film but is definitely high on emotions.

PadMan has its premise in place. Now if only it had some wings.

A movie like PadMan, progressive in its pitch but with nothing else to sustain it, settles the issue of our liberals taking their good taste too seriously.

For this is not truly a liberal world if we keep searching for alternatives to regressive ideas in an R Balki film.

Known for making films that work towards bridging the age and gender gap, Balki’s Padman is an empowering film that gives you the wings, despite the odds. It will free women of their inhibitions and that will be its biggest success. Period!

…for all its flaws, “Padman”, much like its protagonist, puts in a sincere effort. It takes a subject that most Indians are reluctant to talk about and puts it on the marquee, and that alone is worth the applause.

Balki who is known for turning things on its head has done it again with Pad Man. While the subject itself lends to it, the story telling is what makes the difference. An awkward and taboo subject has been dealt with sensitivity and even humour. However, the film does get preachy at points, and slows it down.

For those who’re thinking if you could connect with the message of Pad Man, trust me you will. Every good thing comes with an expiry date and enjoy this era of Akshay Kumar till it lasts (Hope it’s here for a couple of more decades). The combo of entertainment plus message-driven plot is a rare occurrence and Padman fits the bill.

As India hurtles ahead to match the developed world, it is only logical that her cinema follows suit. Thus, we need more films that send out a strong social message and don’t brush perceived taboos such as mental health, feminine hygiene, and sex education under the carpet.

Do watch this one – it is an interesting story about an incredible man.

…none of those efforts would have had the legs to travel as wide as this Akshay Kumar entertainer (with a lovely soundtrack), spreading a message that is impossible to ignore in a country where, as the film informs us, only 12 per cent women use sanitary napkins at all. The rest simply can’t stay free from likely infections, diseases. So you know where this film is coming from. I’m actually really glad to know where it’s going. Period.

Padman packs in a lot of meat within 2.5 hours but most of it is the concentrated second half whereas the first one stands diluted. Balki’s direction elevates the film almost as much as Kumar’s charged portrayal. It is certainly one of the best in his career so far. An extra hoot to Padman for being the first mainstream film to dare address what has long been stuck between the legs. A small film (Phullu) did try to make its presence felt last year, but Padman has proved to be not only a bigger but a better film.

Pad Man is an en­joyable entertainer with a good mess­age. It will score at the box-office and will keep everyone associated with it, happy. It has chances of joining the Rs. 100-crore club.

Pad Man deserves a special mention simply because it got made. A subject that’s hushed up even in urban India got a mainstream treatment by a popular actor-director team. And that itself is a reason why a film like this deserves extra attention.

Padman is sanitised and sweet, and its message is not just to encourage the use of sanitary pads, but that with the right motivation, imagination and a whole lot of patience you can solve problems with ingenuity

Overall, though entertaining, Padman is like a long-drawn public-service film that’s worth your ticket money.

The focus is clearly the story, or to take it a level further – the invention and the social milieu that called for the invention.

The film ticks every question it hopes to raise — if every female goes through it, why should it lead to embarrassment or even taint one as ‘apavitra’? But it barely alters the squeamish attitude many hold against the routine discomfort biologically assigned to all womankind. And this is where R Balki slips. It was a noble cause for sure, if only the makers would have soaked up some of the melodrama.

But Akshay Kumar grins, weeps and speaks with a feeling that doesn’t look like it belongs in this film. There’s this one moment where he manages to finally obtain confirmation that he has indeed managed to make a functional sanitary pad, and he’s nothing short of lovable there. It is precisely this lovableness that made us breeze through Padman, and will likely ensure that you do, too.

Pad Man is an example of how good causes may not always make great cinema.

Kumar’s monologue towards the climax as he talks up his cause at the United Nations in New York puts a smile on your face. It’s Kumar and Apte’s show all the way as they take one for the women’s team. 
Make sure to watch this inspirational film this weekend.

…with the exception of a few sequences, PadMan does a decent job at conveying the importance of sanitary pads for women. And despite being melodramatic it succeeds in telling the all important story of a man who selflessly dedicated his life to ensure a better quality of living for women.

Pad Man proves that sometimes, the message is far more important than the way in which it has been communicated.

To sum up, Balki’s best directorial since his 2009 “Paa” remains a benchmark in how to make an entertainer with a vital social message. Despite its 2.20 duration, there is not a moment when the film does not keep you involved in what is going on.