Vladimir Putin says 'I am not a woman, so I don't have bad days'

A series of films about Russian President Vladimir Putin are aiming to shed new light on the leader.

Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone had unprecedented access to Putin over two years with the aim of learning more about the mystique surrounding his presidency.

In recent months Putin's name has been all over the news with questions raised over Russian state influence over Donald Trump, his campaign team and the US elections.

All this was amid already tense international relations following the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

In the interviews, Putin discusses many elements of his presidency including Russian surveillance, the United States, and his time at the top of the Kremlin.

But as Bloomberg reported, he had some interesting comments on certain topics including gender politics. He said that he's never had a day off as president because he is a man.

He told Stone: "I am not a woman, so I don't have bad days. I am not trying to insult anyone. That's just the nature of things. There are certain natural cycles."

Putin often tries to show off his strongman politcal stance with physical displays. He has been seen swimming in Siberian lakes, taking part in martial arts, and riding horses with his shirt off.

According to Bloomberg who previewed the interviews, the style that Stone takes allowed Putin to "set the tone". There was no fact-checking of any of the comments the Russian president made.

There is apparently only one criticism made of the president, which is on LGBT rights in Russia.

Asked if laws meant that gay minorities were faced with discrimination, he said that this wasn't the case. If he had to shower next to a gay man on a submarine, he said: "Well, I prefer not to go to the shower with him. Why provoke him? But you know, I'm a judo master."