Pad Man is a 2018 biographical comedy-drama film written and directed by R. Balki. A co-production between India and the United States, it stars Akshay Kumar and Radhika Apte in the lead roles with an ensemble supporting cast. The film is based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist and entrepreneur from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu who made low-cost sanitary pads for women in rural areas. His journey was chronicled by Twinkle Khanna in her fictional story The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad.The idea to adapt Murugan's life began in 2015 when Khanna, who served as a co-producer on the film, came across his story while doing a research for a column in The Times of India. Inspired and moved by his persistence and determination, she wrote about him in her book, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad (2016). In November 2017, Sony Pictures became the global distributor for the film. Principal photography commenced on 14 March. The majority of the film was shot in the small town of Maheshwar beside the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh. After filming ended in India, the team travelled to New York City where pivotal scenes were filmed at the Times Square and Lincoln Center, as well as at the United Nations headquarters. Muruganantham worked closely with R. Balki, Kumar and Khanna on set in India, making sure every detail was accurate from the way he built his machine, to how to operate it, even his own posture.Pad Man was initially scheduled to open in cinemas on 25 January 2018, during Republic Day. The film was ultimately released theatrically in India on 9 February 2018, thus becoming the first Hindi film to premiere at the Russia box office on its original date. Upon release, it was a critical and commercial success and performed well especially in India and China, with a worldwide gross of ₹207.73 crore. It won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues.