The portrayal of menstruating women has always been a sensitive and often controversial topic in cinema, regardless of language or genre. New-age storytellers have been more open to discussing this taboo subject realistically on screen. In Yashwanth Kishore's 2023 Tamil movie 'Kannagi', a young woman gets her period just moments before her wedding at a temple. Faced with this situation, what should she do? Should she sit through the ceremony, even though it's considered taboo, or hide behind the bushes because it's perceived as terrible? This particular scene challenges societal norms and expectations.
This sensitivity stems from the delicate nature of the subject matter.
'Kannagi' tells the story of four women and explores the challenges they face in society. If you haven't seen the movie yet, we advise you not to read further as there will be spoilers. In a particular scene, Kalai, played by Ammu Abhirami, unexpectedly gets her period right before her wedding. While the scene itself may not seem extraordinary, it touches upon a cultural nuance.
In India, Hindu women typically refrain from entering temples during menstruation. In the scene, when Kalai realises she has gotten her period, her immediate reaction is to flee from the temple, and she also doesn't have a sanitary napkin with her. Her mother, played by Mounika, goes to look for her and finds Kalai hiding behind some bushes. At first, her mother's reaction is one of concern, as if something inauspicious has occurred. However, she quickly tears off a piece of her saree to give to her daughter. Kalai, feeling naturally apprehensive, returns to the temple for the wedding. The scene concludes with the mother and daughter entering the temple, captured from a lower angle providing them with a larger-than-life structure.
The filmmaker makes his characters break societal conditioning by defying norms by proceeding with the marriage despite the circumstances. Other films have also addressed this theme, with movies like 'Phullu', 'Padman', and 'Gippi' each taking a unique approach to the topic. The superhit Malayalam film 'The Great Indian Kitchen' also sheds light on the treatment of women during menstruation and highlights the hostility they often face.
In 'The Great Indian Kitchen', Nimisha's character is on her period when her husband, played by Suraj Venjaramoodu, seeks advice from his guru after accidentally touching his menstruating wife during his Sabarimala fast. The guru, quoting from scriptures, suggests that the only way to purify oneself after being touched by a menstruating woman is to eat a ball of cow dung or drink cow urine. This portrayal reflects a disturbing mindset where some men would rather consider consuming cow dung than touching a menstruating woman.
There have been numerous debates, both past and ongoing, about whether women should enter temples during their periods. On a deeper level, the image of two women standing side by side entering a temple from 'Kannagi', especially when one is menstruating, goes against what many Indian women are traditionally taught from a young age.
Menstruation is a natural process, and perhaps people should view it as such, rather than encouraging women to hide or retreat to secluded corners during their periods.
