As expected, Manto’s biopic is already inviting all kinds of reactions even before its release. There are numerous reasons which makes this film a special one, and a notable piece of art in the present times. Even before the release of the trailer of Manto, the movie was selected for screening in Cannes Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival. The writer and director of Manto, Nandita Das, has become the third Indian woman to be included in the jury of Cannes Film Festival. The first and second women are Arundhati Roy and Aishwarya Rai.
Sa’adat Hasan Manto was a short story writer, whose stories were way ahead of his times. And this was the reason that most of his stories were unacceptable for majority. Many of his stories deal with prostitution and such hush-hush topics, due to which they were deemed as obscene and unfit for the public. Despite all the criticism that his stories earned, Manto never stopped expressing what he thought and felt about the society. He used to say that he only showed mirror to the society, what people were uncomfortable with were not his stories, but their own reflection being illuminated unabashedly. Before Independence, Manto used to live in Mumbai, and after the Independence, he shifted to Lahore. Manto also used to say, “If you can’t tolerate my stories, it’s because you live in the time which is intolerant”.
Sa’adat Hasan Manto’s biopic, Manto, is gong to hit the theatres on 21st September 2018, and much to the excitement of every theatre lover, the protagonist, Manto is being played by none other than Nawazudin Siddique. Rasika Duggal is playing Manto’s wife Safia, and Rashmi Deshpande is playing the role of Sa’adat Hasan Manto’s friend and another controversial and enigmatic writer of those times, Ismat Chughtai. Other main characters are being played by Paresh Rawal, Rishi Kapoor, and Purab Kohli. The biopic is going to focus on five years of Manto’s lifetime, in which two years are of pre-independent India, and three relating to the post-independence years. The Biopic will focus on the reception of this exceptional writer in the world of literature as well as among general readers.
Director and writer Nandita Das says, “There’s a lot in the life of Manto which has not changed much. Some things have not really changed even after 70 years. Even today, people are fighting for the freedom of expression.” We all know how true this is. Freedom of expression is one of the most frequently challenged human rights in India even today. Maybe this justifies and explains the relevance and popularity of Manto even before its release.
We all have a lot of expectations from the movie, it being the biopic of none other than Sa’dat Hasan Manto. According to Nawazuddin Siddique, Sa’adat Hasan Manto is no more, but in essence, he’s there, and he’ll always be there.
(Translated from Hindi by team Lets Diskuss)