Arunachalam Muruganantham on Period. End of Sentence's Oscar win: Subject of menstrual hygiene had reached global audience

Period. End of Sentence,  a film on menstruation set in rural India, won in the  Documentary Short Subject category at the  91st Academy Awards . The documentary features the work of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social entrepreneur who has been working towards breaking the taboo surrounding menstrual hygiene for years and also has a film Padman, featuring Akshay Kumar, based on his work.

Talking about the win with The Hindu , he said, “I am very happy. We never expected an Oscar. The subject (menstrual hygiene) has reached a global audience. Not just in India, but, women in Kenya, Uganda, or Bangladesh can learn about menstrual hygiene through the documentary.”

He added that “real award” was when he received calls from women who had watched the film and had not only started using sanitary napkins but are also educating other women around them about the same.

Award-winning filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi has directed the short film, which has been produced by Indian producer Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment.

Muruganantham told The News Minute , that the Academy’s honour will soon help make India a hundred percent sanitary napkin-using country. He gave the director and the team the credit for the film’s success.

Period. End of Sentence is set in Hapur village outside Delhi, where women lead a quiet revolution as they fight against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation. For generations, these women did not have access to sanitary pads, which lead to health issues and girls dropping out from schools. When a sanitary pad vending machine is installed in the village, the women learn to manufacture and market their own pads, empowering their community. They name their brand FLY.