Nandita Das

The actress-turned director's passion project, Manto, which has been selected for the prestigious Un Certain Regard section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, follows the travails of one of the most controversial authors of the subcontinent

FOR DECADES, SAADATHASAN MANTO’S short stories have inspired theatre groups; it’s time they also inspired a film-maker. Nandita Das’s Manto, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, traces the most tumultuous four years in the life of Manto. He faced obscenity charges six times in his career, for writing about sex workers, film actors and refugees with equal candour. Not a traditional biopic, the film is the tale of two emerging nations (India and Pakistan), two faltering cities (Bombay and Lahore), and one man who tried to make sense of it all. Manto has also been selected to be screened in Un Certain Regard section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival this month.

What is your personal story with Manto — when did you first read his works and where did it go from there? 

I first read Manto when I was in college. I was struck by his simple yet profound narratives, and the way he insightfully captured the people, politics and times he lived in. He wrote as he saw, as he felt, without dilution, and with a rare sensitivity and empathy for his characters. For years I thought of making a film based on his short stories, even before I made my directorial debut, Firaaq. In 2012, when I delved deeper into his essays, they helped the idea expand beyond his stories.

What drew me to the story of Manto was his free spirit and courage to stand up against orthodoxy of all kinds. As I plunged deeper into Manto’s life, I wondered why he seemed so familiar. Soon I realised that it felt like I was reading about my father, [Jatin Das], an artist. He, too, is intuitively unconventional, a misunderstood misfit, and whose bluntness is not too different from my protagonist.