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Even though menstruation is still considered a taboo topic, actor Sanjeeda Shaikh revealed she performed her first ‘mujra’ sequence in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar on the first day of her periods. Sanjeeda stressed how important it is for women to become comfortable with the thought of speaking plainly about their periods, and recalled that the crew wrapped up her work earlier than usual when she informed them about her discomfort. In an interview with Hauterrfly, the actor said, “I have been very vocal about my periods on sets. I am somebody who would go to the director and say I am chumming.”
She credited her mother for this, and recalled, “My mother, when she got her periods, the first person she told about it to was her Abba. So when my mom said it to her father, then for me, it’s not a big deal to go say it to a director or producer or my co-stars. I just thought it was very normal.”
“I shot for my mujra (Nazariya Ki Mari) for Heeramandi on the first day of my periods. For me, it gets really uncomfortable when I am on my second day. It gets difficult. But, I was so engrossed in whatever I was doing that I would forget all pain. But, they would pack me up early also. Because I told them there’s a little discomfort and if I rest a little, I will feel better the next day. So, this is the thing. You need to express yourself. If you won’t let them know, they will simply think you are very cranky. So, it is better to tell them why you are cranky in the first place. I also want to tell other women if you are not comfortable with the thought, get comfortable with it,” said Sanjeeda Shaikh.
In 2018, R Balki made the film Padman, starring Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, which attempted to normalise conversation around menstruation.
In 2020, during the lock down, several celebs including Aditi Rao Hydari, Dia Mirza, Sonu Sood, Sonam Kapoor and Diana Penty, among others, took part in the Red Dot Challenge — an initiative by United Nations Children’s Fund against the period shaming. The challenge encouraged women to share posts on social media, encouraging women to speak about menstruation.
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