KRG Studios' social experiment for its short film Menarche explores society's reaction to a girl's first period

On July 15, KRG Studios will release a short film called Menarche on its Youtube channel. The multiple award-winning short by Pruthvi Kunigal, is, as the title suggests about the ‘making of a woman’. Menarche refers to a young girl attaining puberty and having her first period. Ahead of the release of the short, a promo came out, which was the video of a social experiment. What happens when a young girl has her first period amidst strangers?

The video features a young girl on busy streets in Bengaluru, supposedly waiting for a parent or elder sibling to come back for her. The girl, wearing a light-coloured pair of trousers appears to have stained it, presumably blood from her first period. She is oblivious to it, and for a while people just walk past her without offering any assistance, although they have taken note of her situation.

However, even when people approach her, mostly women and a few concerned men, their first reaction is to tell her to cover up the stain by draping her jacket around her waist. The young girl, who appears to have no idea what is happening to her body and what needs to be done, is asked to call her parent/sibling to come and get her quickly, while a few others offer to buy her sanitary pads. One or two even gave her a quick class on menstruation and what to expect. But the overwhelming response from pretty much everyone was still to cover it up. Something that is so natural to a woman’s body is, sadly, still seen as something to be ashamed of.

The response to the social experiment has been appreciative of the effort that the team has put into creating awareness. Produced by Varshaa Sanjeev, Menarche will be out on July 15.