Menstrual Man

Amit Virmani's documentary (with a catchy title) honors Arunachalam Muruganantham, a socially ethical, grassroots Indian inventor-businessman who saw a need and filled it—despite extreme cultural taboos. Noting that menstruating women in the impoverished, lower castes of India rarely used tampons—due to a mix of personal shame and the perception of the accessory as a luxury item—and suffered serious health problems, Muruganantham set up a system to mass-produce and distribute affordable sanitary pads. Moreover, his business model and user-friendly technology deliberately employed and empowered village women themselves as much as possible (Muruganantham says he sacrificed an easy-money chance to be a millionaire-industrialist). Muruganantham, who repeatedly claims to lack education and sophistication, doggedly researched available material (plant-cellulose winning out over cotton), quizzed female medical students over preferences (most were still too shy to answer truthfully), and was abandoned by both his wife and his mother, who accused him of being a “pervert.” Humorous inserts from “Bollywood” musical melodramas add a bit of levity to this interesting portrait of responsible venture capitalism, making it a nice counterpoint to the many grim exposés on Third World sweatshops. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)