Director Santosh Upadhyay targets the stigma around menstruation with Masoom Sawaal

Director Santosh Upadhyay’s upcoming film Masoom Sawaal chronicles the prevailing stigma around menstruation in Indian society. It features actors like Nitanshi Goyal, Ekavali Khanna and Shishir Sharma. It is slated to release on 5th August in cinemas.

The story germinated from Upadhyay’s encounter with a young girl at a school. He says, “In 2014, a girl of class VIII came to me and expressed her desire to talk to me in private, away from her parents. Then she asked me, "Sir! Why do girls get periods?" To be honest, I had no answer for that innocent person. So, I queried her about the question and thereafter wrote this film.” 

Talking about what prompted her to be a part of this film, actress Ekavali Khanna shares, "When I got the narration from our director, the first thing that appeared to me was this is a very unusual concept. Despite being a unique story, it was very relatable. Because I come from a very evolved family where there is no taboo around menstrual cycle, but I have seen that there's a large part of India where menstruation is such a big deal with so many irrelevant and unsolicited rules. Women are treated like an outcast and I personally feel frustrated by it.”