The much-anticipated trailer of Nandita Das' directorial Manto is finally out, and it's quite inspirational and riveting. The film starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the titular role, follows the most tumultuous years in the life of Indo-Pakistani author, Saddat Hassan Manto in the post-Independence era. Apart from Siddiqui, the movie features Rasika Dugal as Manto's wife and Tahir Raj Bhasin, Rishi Kapoor and Divya Dutta in key roles.
The 2:22-minute trailer throws light on Manto's fearlessness and never-dying spirit, both through his writings and the struggles he goes through in his life. He challenges all forms of orthodoxy despite cases being slapped against him. Nawaz perfectly slides into the character of the rebel writer who never shies away from speaking his mind.
Talking about getting into the shoes of Manto, Siddiqui had earlier said, "He was a big fighter for free speech. Manto had always been true and wrote what he saw around him. The greatest challenge for me was that I was not like him. I am not like Manto. I tell lots of lies. I had to listen to my director and really had to purify myself (I was very polluted) before I began shooting."
While Rasika, who underwent a lot of preparation for her role as the noted author’s wife, revealed that she did not use any prosthetic or make up to play Safia. She said that her stylists made sure that the clothes and hair styles from that era would be enough to give viewers an authentic character.
Manto has had a tremendous response at Cannes film festival 2018. The film premiered to a packed theatre.
“I could feel that the audience was with the film and the story while we were watching. People seemed to have genuinely connected with the film and were quite moved," Rasika had told IANS just after the premiere.
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