Muruganantham Arunachalam may be one of the most-discussed men from Tamil Nadu in recent times, and quite likely the only man who has ever worn a sanitary pad. The story of the man who invented a low-cost sanitary pad manufacturing machine, and has set up units in various villages across India, run by women's self-help groups, has been documented in detail.

Muruganantham's triumph has landed him on Time Magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2014 - an illustrious list that includes the heads of states such as Narendra Modi, Barack Obama, Xi Jinping, Shinzo Abe and Vladimir Putin, sport stars Serena Williams and Ronaldo, and other distinguished individuals such as Jeff Bezos, Malala Yousafzai, Beyonce, Arundhati Roy and Hilary Clinton.

Among those who got interested in Muruganantham's story is Amit Virmani, the director of the much talked-about Cowboys in Paradise. From chronicling sex tourism, Virmani moved on to Menstrual Man, the story of a school dropout who went on to receive standing ovations at international forums.

When the documentary was shown at the Dharamsala International Film Festival, it was liked as much for the story it follows as for Virmani's style of filmmaking – Muruganantham's dramatic narration is complemented by hamming from Bollywood, and choreographed studio re-enactments. Sify.com caught up with Amit Virmani for this exclusive chat.