From Alia Bhatt To Aamir Khan, It's Heartening To See Celebs Take On The PadMan Challenge

It's a sad testimony of our times and the world we live in that even in 2018, a bunch of influential people from Bollywood have to come together to tell the world that periods are normal, not weird or embarrassing, and nothing to be ashamed of. But hey, if 2018 is the year when so many among us finally stop looking at pads with the fear one must only reserve for radioactive waste, or a paper that holds the country's nuclear codes, we're all for it.

Yesterday, while promoting her film PadMan, producer Twinkle Khanna, and Arunachalam Muruganantham (the genius on whose life the film is based on) enlisted the combined power of Bollywood and social media to help normalise the biological inevitability that is menstruation.

Holding up a pad in their hands, Muruganantham and Twinkle challenged a host of Bollywood stars to post photos of themselves holding a sanitary napkin with the caption: "Yes that's a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period."

It's a lot like the stupendously successful ALS ice bucket challenge of 2014, minus the shivers and chills.

And boy, did Bollywood rise to the "challenge". From the film's stars - Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte - to supporters like Alia Bhatt, Aamir Khan, Shabana Azmi, and a host of others started posting photographs holding pads on social media.

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

Thank you @mrsfunnybones
Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. #PadManChallenge. Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad. Here I am Challenging @SrBachchan , @iamsrk & @BeingSalmanKhan pic.twitter.com/lY7DEevDmD

— Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) February 2, 2018

 

Thank you sir ! I accept your #padmanchallenge Yes that’s a Pad in my hand & I don’t feel weird. It's natural, Period!‬ ‪Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad!‬ ‪Here I am Challenging @jacquelinef143 @arjunkapoor @reallyswara

A post shared by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Feb 2, 2018 at 8:15pm PST

pic.twitter.com/SWMpb2PXPx

— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) February 3, 2018

 

Thank you for tagging me #ArunachalamMuruganantham ‪Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. ‬ ‪#PadManChallenge‬ ‪Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad!‬ Here I am Challenging @deepikapadukone @virat.kohli @aliaabhatt

A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) on Feb 2, 2018 at 5:42am PST

 

Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. ‬ ‪#PadManChallenge‬ ‪Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad!‬ Here I am Challenging @ayushmannk @kalkikanmani @aditiraohydari

A post shared by Radhika (@radhikaofficial) on Feb 2, 2018 at 6:43am PST

 

Thank you for tagging me #ArunachalamMuruganantham Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. #PadManChallenge Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad!

A post shared by Twinkle Khanna (@twinklerkhanna) on Feb 2, 2018 at 1:59am PST

 

#PadManChallenge 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 @twinklerkhanna @sonamkapoor @radhikaofficial

A post shared by Arunachalam muruganantham (@a_muruganantham) on Feb 1, 2018 at 11:45pm PST

Challenge accepted & done @aliaa08 .. Hanging out in the gym with my girls & some pads..No big deal. Period🙌🏼 Now challenging @bipsluvurself @humasqureshi @MasabaG #PadManChallenge @akshaykumar pic.twitter.com/ITGZALKZza

— Sophie Choudry (@Sophie_Choudry) February 3, 2018

Thank you for tagging me @mrsfunnybones
Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed. It's natural! Period. #PadManChallenge

Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad!

Here I am Challenging @hcmariwala @punitgoenka @RonnieScrewvala pic.twitter.com/dnd9N1R3wk

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) February 2, 2018

Taking a cue from Bollywood, social media was soon flooded with photographs of people holding up individual pads and even entire packets of sanitary napkins. It was heartening to see so many men participating in the challenge so wholeheartedly.

Thanks @sharmasahebh, yes that's a pad in my hand and #menstruation is natural! Period. #padmanchallenge #boototaboo #padman
I challenge @Shibika_Suresh and @harshilbhardwaj pic.twitter.com/FNEHcQnsMV

— Sreepoorna (@Sreepoorna31) February 2, 2018

That's my #PadManChallenge
Coz Shaming on nature's call puts a shame on my manhood

I challenge my brothers @HEARTCOREAKKIAN @Bhushanadhau1 @Akshay_Brigade pic.twitter.com/9wJmJzM1pa

— MadMan 9-2-18 (@KevalAkkian) February 2, 2018

 

Yes , that's a pad in my hand and there's nothing to be ashamed about . It's natural ! Period. #PadManChallenge Tag your friends and let it spread . Here i am challenging @k1sam3 @r.a.c.h_7 @dedolldebbie #akshaykumar #radhikaapte

A post shared by Prithvi Raj (@_heavenlysins_) on Feb 2, 2018 at 6:34pm PST

Women Strong ....Then Country Strong !!!!

When you Empower a Women, you Empower a Family.
When you Empower a Family, You Empower the Whole Nation!
Everyone Joining #PadManChallenge @akshaykumar @PadManTheFilm @AkkiFansClub @Akkistaan pic.twitter.com/aganZgxwEg

— RAJASTHAN AKKIANS (@vimal_akki) February 3, 2018

Some even came out with some powerful stories and messages, reminding us why campaigns like these have an important role to play. 

#PadManChallenge Even though we use rags, newspapers some days We are not #Ashamed of our #Period #smashshame pic.twitter.com/A858d29jbS

— Nomcebo Mkhaliphi (@nomcebo_mkhali) February 2, 2018

Bought these without newspaper/black paper bag. A group of men were starring at me while I was carrying this in my hand, but never mind I clicked a photo rather! Thanku @mrsfunnybones @akshaykumar @sonamakapoor @radhika_apte @PadManTheFilm for this confidence. #PadManChallenge pic.twitter.com/853EZXWMPg

— Karishma Asoodani (@tweettokarishma) February 2, 2018

Flaunting my dioxin free,bleach free,organic cotton reusable cloth pads. #padmanchallenge
Periods are not gross.And,washing your cloth pad is completely Hygienic.Make switch towards healthy& #sustainablemenstruation by using biodegradable disposable/cloth pads.#nodioxin pic.twitter.com/KYIy7v7BJI

— Tulika Srivastava (@PhilomelaTulika) February 2, 2018

If this "challenge" helps sanitary napkins and menstruation come out of the ridiculous and wholly unnecessary shadows of shame and be treated like any other common hygiene product, we're all for it. We wonder which celebrity will join the PadMan challenge bandwagon next.