Breaking stereotypes, tackling social issues and creating awareness around menstruation is an upcoming documentary called ‘Ladeej Problem?’. The 40- minute documentary has been produced by Ranchi based startup Onpery, an organisation that aims to enable communities in rural and urban areas to adopt sustainable menstruation practices. The organisation released the poster for their upcoming film in Ranchi on June 3.
The short film revolves around reducing period poverty and creating awareness about environment friendly menstrual practices like using menstrual cups and menstrual underwear. Based in Oriya, a village located on the outskirts of Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, the film a highlights the journey of a community practicing the indigenous Sohrai and Khovar art where the women in this village are shown to have adapted sustainable menstrual practices through an NGO has made the products available to them on a monthly basis at subsidized prices.
“The film communicates the diverse set of problems regarding menstruation, period cycle and period poverty for different age group of menstruators in rural areas. It showcases a set of solutions through interventions and outreach programs on how period poverty can effectively be reduced. It also features beneficiaries making a Sohrai painting mural with reusable period underwear as its primary theme. The mural depicts how this product has helped them adopt hygienic measures and also reduced financial burdens,” said Pramod Priya Ranjan (27), Director and Co- Founder Onpery.
Onpery organised the first private screening of the film for the art, cultural and social communities of Ranchi on May 30 at the Union Club and Library, Ranchi. The chief guest for the occasion Meghanath an activist and national awardee filmmaker appreciated the creative use of the film making process to show the urban people about the problems and solutions around menstruation prevailing in rural areas.
“We plan to screen Ladeej Problem? at various film festivals in India and also internationally September 2024 onwards. Selective private screenings over the next one year are also in the pipeline. The team is keen to release the film to the public in 2025,” said Ranjan.
The documentary has been directed by Arika Shukla- a communication design student as a part of her graduation project at the National Institute of Design, Madhya Pradesh while Dhananjay Bansode has been an assistant in the project. The poster has been designed by Sapna Najeeb while the music has been composed by Tathagat Aacharya, Toshi Priya and Pranjal Tiwari. The production for the film concluded in November 2023 and it is slated to release on YouTube on the occasion of International Women’s day- March 8, 2025.
“Onpery is a wellness brand that enables communities to adopt sustainable well- being practices. At Onpery we aim to enable menstruators to easily adapt reusable menstrual products, reduce period poverty and create well- being literacy through strategically developed programs, self- designed menstrual products, graphics, novels and films,” added the young entrepreneur.
Born and brought up in Ranchi, Ranjan has completed his schooling from Delhi Public School and holds a postgraduate degree in Masters in Design from IIT Delhi. A resident of New Pundag, his father Vinod Ranjan is HOD Fine Arts at DPS Ranchi while his mother Tapasi Ranjan teaches Hindi and Political Science at Vivekanand Vidya Mandir, Ranchi.
