Indian Partners: Indian Film Observations on Entrepreneurship and Social Change
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Indian cinema has always attracted the attention of audiences around the world with its unique style and charm. From song and dance films to social themes, from comedy to tragedy, from love to family, Indian films show the diversity and complexity of Indian society, and also reflect the dreams and challenges of the Indian people. In recent years, some Indian films have aroused widespread attention and discussion at home and abroad with their profound themes and touching stories, and have become new highlights of Indian films. The Indian Partner is one of them.
"Indian Partner" is a film based on real events that tells the story of how Lakshmi (Akshay Kumar), an Indian grassroots entrepreneur, breaks through resistance and invents a low-cost sanitary napkin production machine that revolutionizes the concept of menstrual hygiene among rural women in India. The film not only shows Lakshmi's entrepreneurial spirit and sense of social responsibility, but also reveals the prejudice and discrimination against women's menstruation in Indian society, as well as the plight and awakening of women themselves. After the film was released in India in 2018, it caused a sensation and praise, and also prompted the Indian government to cancel import tariffs on sanitary napkins in the same year, which had a positive impact on the health and rights of Indian women.
This article will analyze the film from the following six aspects:
- Film background: The significance and current situation of sanitary napkins in Indian society
- Protagonist of the film: Lakshmi's entrepreneurial journey and motivation
- Movie women: female figures in different roles such as wives, sisters, partners, customers, etc
- Film conflict: Lakshmi and the contradictions and challenges of family, society, tradition, market, etc
- Film Solution: How Lakshmi Achieves His Ideals and Mission
- Cinematic Significance: The Implications and Influence of Cinema on Indian Society and Women
## Movie Background: The Significance and Current Situation of Sanitary Napkins in Indian Society
In Western countries, sanitary napkins are one of the essential products for women during menstruation, which can ensure that women are clean, comfortable and safe during menstruation. However, in India, due to economic, cultural, religious and other factors, most women cannot use or are unwilling to use sanitary napkins. According to 2012 statistics, only about 20% of the 650 million or so Indian women have used sanitary pads1. In rural areas, the percentage is even lower. Most rural women can only use dirty rags, sand, leaves, cow dung, etc. instead of sanitary napkins during menstruation, which not only brings them great inconvenience and pain, but also increases their risk of gynecological diseases. It is estimated that about 70,000 Indian women die each year from the use of unhygienic menstrual products2.
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Why can't Indian women use sanitary pads? There are several reasons for this:
- Economic reasons. The price of sanitary napkins in India is relatively high, generally selling for tens of rupees a pack, while rural women have low incomes and are difficult to afford. Even if some women want to buy, they are often stopped by family members because they see it as a waste and luxury.
- Cultural reasons. Sanitary napkins are seen in India as a matter of privacy and shame, and are rarely discussed or displayed publicly. Buying sanitary napkins in stores is also an embarrassment, often wrapped in black plastic bags or covered with newspaper. Many women are afraid to buy or use sanitary pads for fear of being discovered or ridiculed.
- Religious reasons. In some Indian religions, women are considered unclean and unlucky during menstruation, and they are not allowed to enter temples, kitchens, bedrooms, etc., nor can they touch men or idols. They were forced to isolate themselves in a hut where they had to eat leftovers, drink dirty water and sleep on straw mats. If they use sanitary napkins, it is considered a blasphemy against God and a betrayal of tradition.
These reasons lead to the difficulties and hardships of Indian women during menstruation, and hinder their health, education, employment and social advancement. This is also the status quo that the "Indian Partner" film wants to change and challenge.
## Protagonist of the film: Lakshmi's entrepreneurial journey and motivation
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Lakshmi is the protagonist of the film, he is a rural youth with only a fledgling Chinese level, and he likes to tinker with all kinds of gadgets since he was a child. After he got married, he found that his wife used dirty rags to solve problems during menstruation, and he felt that this was not good for his wife's health, so he wanted to buy his wife a pack of sanitary napkins as a gift. However, he found that the price of sanitary napkins on the market was too high for him to afford. So he started making cheap and clean sanitary napkins himself and asked his wife to try them out. But the sanitary napkins he made did not work well, but made his wife feel uncomfortable and dissatisfied. He didn't give up, continued to improve his product and looked for other women to try out. But he was opposed and ostracized by his family, neighbors, villagers, religious leaders and others, and even treated as a neurotic and pervert. He lost his job, his wife, his family, and his dignity, but he still held fast to his ideals and beliefs.
Lakshmi left his village and came to Delhi in search of more knowledge and opportunities. He worked part-time at a university professor, learned how to make fiber cotton, and saw foreign sanitary napkin production machines. He decided to build his own sanitary napkin machine, but he didn't have enough money and technology. He borrowed money everywhere, made his own tools, and perfected his machines little by little. In the process, he meets Parry (Sonam Kapoor), an MBA graduate from a prestigious university who is interested in Lakshmi's ideas and products, becoming his first client and partner. Parry helped Lakshmi participate in an innovation competition that earned him prize money and fame, as well as more customers and partners. Lakshmi's sanitary napkin business began to flourish, and he not only earned a fortune for himself, but also brought health and dignity to rural Indian women.
Lakshmi's entrepreneurial journey is a saga full of hardships and miracles, and he used his wisdom, courage and perseverance to realize a seemingly impossible dream. His motivation for starting a business was also very simple and pure: to make sanitary napkins affordable for his wife and other women, so that they would no longer suffer during their periods. He was not tempted by money, fame and power, nor was he overwhelmed by difficulties, setbacks, and pressure, and he always maintained a kind, simple, and enthusiastic heart. He is a true Indian partner, a true social change-maker.
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## Movie women: female figures in different roles such as wives, sisters, partners, customers, etc
There are many female figures with different roles and identities in the film, representing women from different classes, regions and cultural backgrounds in Indian society. They played important roles in the film and also showed their own characteristics and styles.
- Wife: Jaya (Radhika Apt) is Lakshmi's wife, a traditional and gentle rural woman who is loyal and submissive to her husband. She used dirty rags during her menstruation and followed religious rules to isolate herself in her hut. When Lakshmi bought her sanitary napkins, she was surprised and moved, but when Lakshmi asked her to try the homemade sanitary napkins, she felt uncomfortable and refused. She couldn't understand why her husband would do such a thing and was worried that he would be misunderstood and ostracized. When Lakshmi was spurned by the village, she chose to leave him and returned to her parents' house. Although she loves her husband, she cares more about her reputation and dignity, and she does not want to live with someone who is regarded as a pervert. She is a typical Indian rural woman, her thoughts and actions are bound by tradition and society, she has no own opinions and judgments, she can only conform to the arrangements and expectations of others.
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- Sisters: Lakshmi has two older sisters, who are also rural women and also use dirty rags. They were curious about Lakshmi's sanitary pads, but they were also afraid. When Lakshmi asked them to try it out, they refused and told their husbands. Their husbands were so angry that they thought Lakshmi was insulting their wife, so they beat Lakshmi and asked him to leave the village. Their sibling relationship broke down and they no longer had contact with Lakshmi. They are also influenced by tradition and society, they do not have the courage and confidence to try new things, they can only follow the orders of their husbands, they have no voice and no rights of their own.
- Partner: Parry (Sonam Kapoor) is a woman Lakshmi meets in Delhi, a modern and intelligent urban woman with an MBA from a prestigious university. She was intrigued by Lakshmi's sanitary napkins and offered to try them out. She found Lakshmi's products good and admired his creativity and courage. She became Lakshmi's first client and helped him participate in innovation competitions. She then became a partner of Lakshmi wholeheartedly, using her business acumen and femininity to promote sanitary napkins for Lakshmi and build good client relationships. She even fell in love with Lakshmi and wanted to marry him. But when she found out that Lakshmi still loved his wife, she chose to let it go and wished them a good return. She is a typical Indian urban woman, she has her own ideals and pursuits, but also her own judgments and choices. She is not limited by tradition and society, nor is she afraid of the opinions and evaluations of others. She dares to try new things and express her feelings. She is an independent and confident woman.
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