Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

Narrated by Lt. Col. M.K. Sinha himself, the Gillette Man Enough film follows the true story of how his life changed when a bullet tore through his jaw in the line of duty. It chronicles his physical and mental anguish in dealing with this crippling injury, showing us how regressive stereotypes of masculinity discouraged him from accepting his pain. However, this changed when his father, whom he considered the paragon of manliness, visited him in hospital. His father’s display of emotions inspired him to embrace his own, leading to him shedding tears for the first time in his adult life. This moment redefined his notions of manliness and taught him that expressing emotions doesn’t make one weaker – in fact it makes them stronger and more complete. Gillette championed his inspiring story, hoping to spark change in perceptions of manliness that the next generation of men would aspire to.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

One of the most iconic lines in Bollywood is ‘Mard ko dard nahi hota’ i.e. men feel no pain. This bares testament to how prevalent the regressive notion that ‘men don’t cry’ truly is. Introduced at a formative age and passed down generations, this pervasive stereotype is repeatedly reinforced by pop culture, role models and society overall. Exposure to these influences makes young boys believe that hiding pain and distancing emotions are defining features of being a man, causing severe repercussions in their mental makeup. Gillette wanted to tackle this notion of toxic masculinity, allowing young men to groom a healthier understanding of themselves, and inspiring them to realise that shedding tears makes them no less of a man, in fact, they should celebrate the fact that they’re man enough to do so.

Provide the full film script in English.

The film opens on an image. It’s a tight shot of the Colonel's father. Col. Sinha: That’s the toughest man I’ve known, Air force Veteran Bishwanath Sinha… my dad. We then see shaky footage of a young colonel running away with urgency. Col. Sinha: I remember as a child I was chased by an angry bull and I ran towards him crying... After which we see an old image of a young colonel and his dad – cut to the present-day colonel being interviewed. Col. Sinha: He held me in his arms and said wipe those tears off. You’re a man. The screen cuts to black and an image of a wounded Colonel appears with two supers next to it – Super: On 31st May 2000, a bullet tore through the face of Lt. Col. Manoj Kumar Sinha in the line of duty. Super: What follows is his true story. We see a man being wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher – the nurses and doctors take him into the operation theatre. In the OT, we see a suturing procedure in process. Bloodied scalpels, haemostat scissors, and dripping gauzes are dropped into a suturing tray. We see X-rays of his dislocated jaw displayed up on a screen in there. Interspersed within is the interview footage with the present-day colonel. Col. Sinha: I guess I stopped crying because I wanted to be like him. Tough and strong. We see a pitiful image of the colonel, heavily bandaged with tubes and suction pipes sticking out of his face – later we see him wincing in pain as the bandages are removed – he now must be fed by tubes. Col. Sinha: So no matter how hard you’ve taken a hit… No tears. We see him broken and dejected lying down on his bed. His wife and children are around him. Col. Sinha: So I hid. I hid my pain like dad would want me to. We see him up at night – He pensively stares at the ceiling fan as he contemplates his fate. The present-day Colonel then speaks to the camera. Col. Sinha: I did not want him to see my wounds… that I’m weak. Cut to the hospital room – wee see the Colonel's father enter the frame and sit next to his son. Col. Sinha: I was being a man. He looks up and his eyes fill with tears. He swallows a lump in his throat and forces a smile. But his father tears up looking at the plight of his son – he moves to hold and embrace him. Col. Sinha: But this time, he didn’t ask me to wipe my tears off. We see the two of them break down in each other’s arms. Col. Sinha: That moment changed it all... His dad helps him up and gently takes him towards the bathroom. Col. Sinha: That’s the day we both realized that showing what you really feel doesn’t make you less of a man. His dad then applies foam on the Colonel's face and the colonel picks up the Mach 3. Col. Sinha: It was ok for boys to cry. We then see the present-day Colonel speaking to camera. Col. Sinha: Men can cry. Even soldiers can cry. We see the colonel as he takes the first stroke and match cut it with the present-day Colonel finishing his last stroke with the Mach 3 – we see the razor comfortably glide over his wound. Col. Sinha: Because our pain reveals the best in us. We see a montage of shots of the present-day Colonel with his father as they share a moment. A super appears. Super: THE BEST A MAN CAN BE. The screen cuts to black and we see two videos of the Colonel along with two supers – one as he receives an award for gallantry and the other as he delivers a speech to the youth of the nation. Super: Lt Col Manoj Kumar Sinha was awarded the Sena Medal for Gallantry. Super: He’s now part of the Gillette Achievers Academy that pledges to inspire men to rethink their notions of manliness. #ShavingStereotypes Gillette