56 reviews
Manto and I
Manto, the film (2018) - reflections
When I was about eight, we lived in a by-lane of an erstwhile fisher's colony, Machua Toli, of Patna. My parents had to move away from the joint family we lived in there. Irreconcilable differences, you'd say in today's parlance. There were tears, seethed in anger, streaming in vulnerability that parted an address of intimacy into torn realities. That was my first sense of partition.
I missed my playmates, two sons of a rickshaw puller and a housemaid, and the courtyard in that otherwise dark home where I rode my tricycle and intimidate my aunts of riding over. In our new, rented home, we lived with the strangers, with a veranda and a toilet shared with the other tenants.
Soon, I learnt to play in a no man's land next to our rooms, all alone, and made up three imaginary playmates, Rakhi, Sukhi and Bhutkarua. I am amused to realise that after about five decades, I still remember those names exactly. Maybe, because they gave me company for three years, during the noons after my morning school when my mother would be tired and asleep, during the evenings my father would be working late and I would wait for him after finishing my homework.
Those were my first fictional characters, protagonists or hero's friends in many roleplays I told myself, modelled after the kids I had to leave behind in that by-lane of Muchua Toli.
Manto lived a partition as well, much real, bloody and unnecessary than mine. He was as helpless as I was. He realised that the people closest to him were drifting away just because he belonged to the 'other people'. The eyes of Nawaz, playing the role, reflected my torment, looking at Bombay for one last time and then, at the ship signalling to set sail for Lahore.
Fortunate would be the literary readers that Manto was not eight at that time. Doomed was he that he was not eight while crossing the line. He was destined to carry the cross that forever split his being into two nations and uncountable characters wedded to his fiction. He was a rebel, or so it would seem. His nightmares, tears behind the door of a prison, anxious observation of a spider climbing up the rods and failing, then trying again, and dropping down were only for Safia to see.
Safia, his friend and wife, the mortar that kept him together, was always with Manto through those human moments. She loved the animal Manto for whom the civil norms of the timid never made sense. She cared for the messiah whose only religion was truth.
She knew how Manto went in and out of his stories, aimless, easy but always honest. Nandita has captured these transitions the way Manto would have felt himself. Rasika as Safia breaks down on two occasions, gets angry on one but never ceases to love, and live, Sa'saab.
Flashes of potent geniuses pass before you during the 112 minutes of the film, Paresh Rawal, Javed Akhtar, Rishi Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Vinod Nagpal... they pass like the stations that Manto might have crossed during his train rides between Lahore, Amritsar and Mumbai. That was before he got scared, before he ran away, before he felt as vulnerable as the millions who ran and were not blessed to live and bleed their shame and fear on blank pages.
Manto joined the exodus for his own sake, for the sake of his family that he adored. He couldn't afford to stay put. Robbed of the land where his parents and the firstborn were buried, Manto could never forgive the senile political class and a bankrupt, rushed imperial power. The people he saw vanquished, and killed, and raped, and sold around, pleaded with him to write about them. He obliged them, much as his sober psyche could take.
Manto's potent words and characters ate up Nandita, Nawaz and a host of brilliant technical experts (sound, cinematography and art direction, three cheers!). The film couldn't rise over the writer. The past of Lahore of 1948 is such high definition, that sitting in the chilled auditorium (eighteen people watched the second show, I counted) in Bangalore of 2018, I could smile, laugh and be angry with Manto. Such is the permanence of Manto's works that the artistes making the cinema disappeared into an ephemeral mist. It didn't matter that the celluloid version could become a reality after six anxious years of wait and passionate hard work.
His signature shone. From right to left, alive in the audacity of a pencil that preserved the Sheaffers and Parkers he never needed to use, in the letters that could make pearls feel humble, it read 'Saadat Hasan Manto'.
Insaniyat zindabad. Afsana nigari zindabad.
- tapanmozumdar
- Sep 20, 2018
- Permalink
Peering through a time portal back to 1940's India-Pakistan.
My Rating : 8/10
'Manto' as a film transports you to a different world completely. It gives you a sense of the zeitgest of a 1940's recently-partitioned India and Pakistan and the strong religious sentiments of the people at the time. Saadat Hasan Manto was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author and someone who through his writings wanted to give a different perspective.
Nandita Das' direction reminds me of the likes of Guru Dutt and Satyajit Ray. 'Manto' is exquisite, poetic and an intimate character study.
Upar di gur gur di annexe di bedhiyana di moong di daal of di Pakistan and Hindustan of di...Manto.
Brilliant.
'Manto' as a film transports you to a different world completely. It gives you a sense of the zeitgest of a 1940's recently-partitioned India and Pakistan and the strong religious sentiments of the people at the time. Saadat Hasan Manto was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author and someone who through his writings wanted to give a different perspective.
Nandita Das' direction reminds me of the likes of Guru Dutt and Satyajit Ray. 'Manto' is exquisite, poetic and an intimate character study.
Upar di gur gur di annexe di bedhiyana di moong di daal of di Pakistan and Hindustan of di...Manto.
Brilliant.
- AP_FORTYSEVEN
- Dec 6, 2018
- Permalink
Innovative Story-telling and Great Acting
I love period films for the way it transports one to a different time, a different world altogether. This movie takes it one step further. It transports you into Manto's stories, as if you are a spectator living inside his short stories. I found the story-telling to be extremely effective. Manto's stories are highlighted really well in this movie. The parallel story-telling of his own life story and his work was a very innovative way of putting forward a biographical tale of a writer.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as usual, is fantastic in his role. The supporting cast, led by Rasika Duggal are also great in their respective roles. The friendship between Manto and Shyam (Tahir Raj Bhasin) was very convincing. The stories revolving around the Partition of India, and how it affected so many people at the time was absolutely heart-wrenching. The way this story was told was both educational and incredible. A great film.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as usual, is fantastic in his role. The supporting cast, led by Rasika Duggal are also great in their respective roles. The friendship between Manto and Shyam (Tahir Raj Bhasin) was very convincing. The stories revolving around the Partition of India, and how it affected so many people at the time was absolutely heart-wrenching. The way this story was told was both educational and incredible. A great film.
Manto is brutally honest reflection of our society during partition
- binducherungath
- Sep 22, 2018
- Permalink
A Masterpiece that makes us ponder.
Armed with strong acting skills of Nawaz and other talented actors like Rasika Duggal and Divya Dutta, Manto is a masterpiece that tells the present generation about the social conditions of 1940s and 50s, and so many things have still not changed. Every person living today in today's times can relate to Manto and his struggles. A MUST watch for every Indian and Pakistani.
Can't rate something PRICELESS
Struggle for the freedom of expression during the turbulent times of partition!! The sliver of those times well presented with some fantastic and powerful story telling from the bold and repulsive pen of Munto!!
*Not* for entertainment seekers. It's for those who can sink inside the every character's mind and try to explore the circumstantial sense of every scene.
Nandita Das has written and directed this by literally living in those characters and times.
I am afraid that the time pass movie goers may complain of boredom and classify this movie a documentary. Nevertheless they may still look at others watching the movie to check if they are alone thinking that they way.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is promisingly the best actor ...sorry the writer. I had to change from actor to a writer because I am still not able to get the Munto out of him.
Art work and sound recording is brilliant!! For some reason I felt the cigarette lighting with a match stick sounded so perfect I felt that it's been some decades since I heard that sound. Same with the sound of the type writer and the ruffle of the paper.
If you are movie lover who loves to analyse every scene go to the movie. If you land up into this movie because other movies are sold out, you won't be sold on entertainment!! Jingoistic expectations will be laid to rest right from scene 1.
I can rate this movie because it will berate someone who will call Priceless!!
*Not* for entertainment seekers. It's for those who can sink inside the every character's mind and try to explore the circumstantial sense of every scene.
Nandita Das has written and directed this by literally living in those characters and times.
I am afraid that the time pass movie goers may complain of boredom and classify this movie a documentary. Nevertheless they may still look at others watching the movie to check if they are alone thinking that they way.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is promisingly the best actor ...sorry the writer. I had to change from actor to a writer because I am still not able to get the Munto out of him.
Art work and sound recording is brilliant!! For some reason I felt the cigarette lighting with a match stick sounded so perfect I felt that it's been some decades since I heard that sound. Same with the sound of the type writer and the ruffle of the paper.
If you are movie lover who loves to analyse every scene go to the movie. If you land up into this movie because other movies are sold out, you won't be sold on entertainment!! Jingoistic expectations will be laid to rest right from scene 1.
I can rate this movie because it will berate someone who will call Priceless!!
- rajesh-puvvada
- Sep 21, 2018
- Permalink
Superbly well made.
After reading Thanda Gohsht I was mesmerised by the literary style and excellence of Sadat Hasan Manto. This movie has been a good portrayal of Manto's life. Manto was a literary genius who transformed literature forever. Impressed by movie and obviously flawless acting of Nawaz. They could have made it a little more better (but there's always room for improvement and critics will always find something to blame). But overall it was a great journey watching this movie and experiencing a view in Manto's life and his thinking(although it feels like grotesque and abominable).
Do watch it.
- gursharan1551
- Sep 20, 2018
- Permalink
Thought provoking
The movie is so string tied with beautiful acting of all the actors, that you tend to ask for another showtime.
I wished the movie didn't end on 112 minutes, but effortless.
What a direction and screenplay, mind-boggling experience, like said by the director in her interviews, I brought some Mantoniyat with me.
- antaisurra
- Sep 22, 2018
- Permalink
An author who lived in the present....& suffered!
Manto
Based on the true story of a famous pre-independence Urdu author Saadat Hasan Manto. Five of his stories are shown in this film which are as follows:
Parents as pimps Tired Prostitute Cold Meat Reactions of a Raped victim Lunatics Exchange - Toba Tek Singh
I am giving the details of each story:
Parents as pimps
A barely 12 years old girl is getting ready - her mother is helping her get ready and in comes the father hurriedly to take her to Babus waiting in the car. Two old babus and their driver see the young girl and the driver feels that the girl is way too young - but her father confirms that she knows her job well!
They take her to the sea beach and generally play around - later the driver is shown to drop her at her home - he gives her a 10 rupee note but she returns it saying that she did not do anything so why should she take the money! Basically showing that the driver took pity on the girl - and unlike her own father - he saved her from the 2 aged beeps by getting them totally drunk....or else they may have used the girl for oral sex or sodomy - whatever!
All three in the car were Indians - moneyed Indians who had a car and a driver too! Our poor freedom fighters were dying young on the streets of our motherland and here - at the same time - some Indians had no scruples whatsoever and probably were least bothered about the 'War of Independence' that the Indians were struggling with!
Poverty stricken parents sell their own children in the flesh market....but alas - no one till date could eradicate poverty - Hail India, Hail Indians!
Tired Prostitute
A pimp stops a man on the road and asks if he is interested in the services of a prostitute. The man agreed so the pimp goes inside a dilapidated building to wake up a half asleep prostitute. She says that she is too tired and will not work but rather sleep. Hearing this the pimp starts beating her and she too starts hitting him back....killing him accidentally! She sees that he is badly injured - maybe even dead - but goes off to sleep instead!
Prostitutes have zero emotions. Children born to them too have zero emotions....such children eventually become very eligible for acts of terrorism and brutal murders, rapes and mass destruction.
Cold Meat
While the India-Pakistan partition was on - law and order totally went haywire and people began looting each other. There was this Pakistani serial I used to watch on Zindagi Channel (not aired anymore!) - Waqt ne kiya kya hassen sitam - based on a novel - Bano - where it was shown how sikh men were attacking buses going to Pakistan and even murdering the people and taking away their jewellery and clothes! In fact it was also shown how the mother of the Sikh youth was so proud of her son to have looted so much gold etc!
Similarly in this story Manto describes that a Sikh man returns home and his wife wants him to make love to her....but he fails to do so. Enraged, the wife thinks that her husband is having an affair with another woman because of which he was unable to quench her sexual thirst. She threatens to kill him with a sharp knife if he does not tell her the truth....it is only then he tells her that he had barged into a house and murdered some family members - but he saw a very attractive girl so he took her on his shoulders instead - thinking he will devour her first before killing her - but when he lays her on the ground - he found that she was already dead! He was shocked to see that he had been carrying a dead body all the way to enjoy her.....
So basically we do not need outsiders to destroy us.....our own people are sufficient to kill and finish everything! Imagine what kind of people we co-exist with - when there was peace, these very people must have met and enjoyed togetherness but just as soon as there was unrest and ruckus....everyone wnated to loot, kill, rape, murder!! Similar thing has been shown in 1947, Earth (starring Aamir Khan and Nandita Dutta).
Reactions of a raped victim
A father is searching for his lost teenage daughter in a refugee camp and is running helter skelter to find her whereabouts....people are even seen making fun of the poor old man. He reaches a room where patients are lying and happens to see his daughter lying on one of the beds. There was a window near the bed so the doctor asks the father to open the window...while the half dead girl heard the words 'open it' she unconsciously started opening her salwar.....meaning she had reached some such place where she was constantly raped - multiple times by many men!! Similar thing has also been shown in 'Begum Jaan' (starring Vidya Balan) and its Bengali version too - starring Rituparna.
Lunatics Exchange - Toba Tek Singh
Story narrates that post independence, the lunatics of respective countries will be reached to their own lands. ...but there is still a lot of confusion as to which place belongs where...so the aged mad man dies on the Noman's land.
Saadat Hasan Manto believed in writing what was prevalent at the present moment. He lived in the present - but alas the 'play-it-safe' authors only wrote hopeful romantic - basically useless - stuff and the publishers also played it safe by publishing romantic chick lits! One thing that went against Manto's writing style was that he used explicit sexual descriptions, which was thought of as 'porn' - which was banned in both the countries during that time....
He did not believe in sugar coating anything - he presented things as is. He even said to one of his friends that when he sees sleazy drunk males entering the Red Light Areas - he cannot paint a rosy picture of the gory incidents that took place there!
During the partition, he had to leave Bombay and return to Pakistan where his blunt acidic writing style was not appreciated and accepted. He even had to face a trial for 'Cold Meat' ! Although he loved his wife and daughters but he could not handle failure and took to heavy drinking...that ruined him all the more!
Few Scenes:
An Indian director is checking out females - how much they can expose and eventually he chose the fair and bold one who had taken off her dress in a jiffy...unlike the dark one who was hesitating in taking off her clothes!! ...and now we have several fairness creams sold in the market...girls and even boys dying to become fair...for what? To get selected to shed your dress in front of the camera!? Struggle for freedom or independence did not make much of a difference to rich and famous people - they continued to live lavishly ever after....in a scene yesteryear actor Ashok Kumar was in the car with Manto when some mobs stopped the car...but up on seeing famous actor Ashok Kumar, they let them go! So basically the rich and the affluent people - who were happily serving the Britishers and even emulating their lifestyles - eg. females wearing plunging necklines, consuming alcohol etc. - did not feel any difference pre- or post independence.....life remained the same for them....night parties, bathing in alcohol, cabaret dance, prostitution.....everything continued as it was!
What is the use of so many deaths and struggle?!
Based on the true story of a famous pre-independence Urdu author Saadat Hasan Manto. Five of his stories are shown in this film which are as follows:
Parents as pimps Tired Prostitute Cold Meat Reactions of a Raped victim Lunatics Exchange - Toba Tek Singh
I am giving the details of each story:
Parents as pimps
A barely 12 years old girl is getting ready - her mother is helping her get ready and in comes the father hurriedly to take her to Babus waiting in the car. Two old babus and their driver see the young girl and the driver feels that the girl is way too young - but her father confirms that she knows her job well!
They take her to the sea beach and generally play around - later the driver is shown to drop her at her home - he gives her a 10 rupee note but she returns it saying that she did not do anything so why should she take the money! Basically showing that the driver took pity on the girl - and unlike her own father - he saved her from the 2 aged beeps by getting them totally drunk....or else they may have used the girl for oral sex or sodomy - whatever!
All three in the car were Indians - moneyed Indians who had a car and a driver too! Our poor freedom fighters were dying young on the streets of our motherland and here - at the same time - some Indians had no scruples whatsoever and probably were least bothered about the 'War of Independence' that the Indians were struggling with!
Poverty stricken parents sell their own children in the flesh market....but alas - no one till date could eradicate poverty - Hail India, Hail Indians!
Tired Prostitute
A pimp stops a man on the road and asks if he is interested in the services of a prostitute. The man agreed so the pimp goes inside a dilapidated building to wake up a half asleep prostitute. She says that she is too tired and will not work but rather sleep. Hearing this the pimp starts beating her and she too starts hitting him back....killing him accidentally! She sees that he is badly injured - maybe even dead - but goes off to sleep instead!
Prostitutes have zero emotions. Children born to them too have zero emotions....such children eventually become very eligible for acts of terrorism and brutal murders, rapes and mass destruction.
Cold Meat
While the India-Pakistan partition was on - law and order totally went haywire and people began looting each other. There was this Pakistani serial I used to watch on Zindagi Channel (not aired anymore!) - Waqt ne kiya kya hassen sitam - based on a novel - Bano - where it was shown how sikh men were attacking buses going to Pakistan and even murdering the people and taking away their jewellery and clothes! In fact it was also shown how the mother of the Sikh youth was so proud of her son to have looted so much gold etc!
Similarly in this story Manto describes that a Sikh man returns home and his wife wants him to make love to her....but he fails to do so. Enraged, the wife thinks that her husband is having an affair with another woman because of which he was unable to quench her sexual thirst. She threatens to kill him with a sharp knife if he does not tell her the truth....it is only then he tells her that he had barged into a house and murdered some family members - but he saw a very attractive girl so he took her on his shoulders instead - thinking he will devour her first before killing her - but when he lays her on the ground - he found that she was already dead! He was shocked to see that he had been carrying a dead body all the way to enjoy her.....
So basically we do not need outsiders to destroy us.....our own people are sufficient to kill and finish everything! Imagine what kind of people we co-exist with - when there was peace, these very people must have met and enjoyed togetherness but just as soon as there was unrest and ruckus....everyone wnated to loot, kill, rape, murder!! Similar thing has been shown in 1947, Earth (starring Aamir Khan and Nandita Dutta).
Reactions of a raped victim
A father is searching for his lost teenage daughter in a refugee camp and is running helter skelter to find her whereabouts....people are even seen making fun of the poor old man. He reaches a room where patients are lying and happens to see his daughter lying on one of the beds. There was a window near the bed so the doctor asks the father to open the window...while the half dead girl heard the words 'open it' she unconsciously started opening her salwar.....meaning she had reached some such place where she was constantly raped - multiple times by many men!! Similar thing has also been shown in 'Begum Jaan' (starring Vidya Balan) and its Bengali version too - starring Rituparna.
Lunatics Exchange - Toba Tek Singh
Story narrates that post independence, the lunatics of respective countries will be reached to their own lands. ...but there is still a lot of confusion as to which place belongs where...so the aged mad man dies on the Noman's land.
Saadat Hasan Manto believed in writing what was prevalent at the present moment. He lived in the present - but alas the 'play-it-safe' authors only wrote hopeful romantic - basically useless - stuff and the publishers also played it safe by publishing romantic chick lits! One thing that went against Manto's writing style was that he used explicit sexual descriptions, which was thought of as 'porn' - which was banned in both the countries during that time....
He did not believe in sugar coating anything - he presented things as is. He even said to one of his friends that when he sees sleazy drunk males entering the Red Light Areas - he cannot paint a rosy picture of the gory incidents that took place there!
During the partition, he had to leave Bombay and return to Pakistan where his blunt acidic writing style was not appreciated and accepted. He even had to face a trial for 'Cold Meat' ! Although he loved his wife and daughters but he could not handle failure and took to heavy drinking...that ruined him all the more!
Few Scenes:
An Indian director is checking out females - how much they can expose and eventually he chose the fair and bold one who had taken off her dress in a jiffy...unlike the dark one who was hesitating in taking off her clothes!! ...and now we have several fairness creams sold in the market...girls and even boys dying to become fair...for what? To get selected to shed your dress in front of the camera!? Struggle for freedom or independence did not make much of a difference to rich and famous people - they continued to live lavishly ever after....in a scene yesteryear actor Ashok Kumar was in the car with Manto when some mobs stopped the car...but up on seeing famous actor Ashok Kumar, they let them go! So basically the rich and the affluent people - who were happily serving the Britishers and even emulating their lifestyles - eg. females wearing plunging necklines, consuming alcohol etc. - did not feel any difference pre- or post independence.....life remained the same for them....night parties, bathing in alcohol, cabaret dance, prostitution.....everything continued as it was!
What is the use of so many deaths and struggle?!
Someone who lived in Lahore, but his heart remained in Bombay
A film based on the celebrated writer Saadat Hasan Manto is as riveting and overwhelmingly haunting as his work. Like Manto's stories, this film never fails to give goosebumps.
Blending seamlessly between the depiction of some of Manto's stories like Ten Rupees, Khol Do, Thanda Gosht and Toba Tek Singh and his life, the film adds extreme depth and an insight to Manto's thinking. Set in the pre-partition era, that is, mid 1940s and 1950s Manto transports you to that era, the life in Mumbai(then Bombay), and Lahore, Bombay film sets and coffee shops, rickety magazine offices, courts, gardens, hooded convertibles and tongas in the sepia coloured tones. The film also grasps the intellectual conversations between Manto and Ismat Chughtai (Rajshri Deshpande) well.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has embodied the character of Manto. With that I mean, he IS Manto in the film. He is backed by an equally talented cast, with his wife Safiya(Rasika Dugal), who portrays a controlled and strong demeanour, his dear friend and actor Shyam(Tahir Bhasin), and a host of talented actors in special appearances.
Divided like the fonts used in the film, Siddiqui brings out the inner divide, conflict, the hidden rage, the disgust, the hurt, the inner turmoil, the helplessness and fear, the urge to write the truth along with managing his household, the continuous court appearances to perfection. The hurt and regret speaks volumes with his incessant cigarette puffs and chugging of alcohol.
With memorable dialogues and truthful portrayal of the characters, this is one of the films which will talked about for years.
Worth watching a 100 times. The only fault? - The film got over too soon.
- md_bunny1003
- Sep 21, 2018
- Permalink
Pakistani Sarmad Khoosat's manto was better....
If you like this you will love sarmad khoosat's manto then.....
- sohaiblums
- Dec 5, 2018
- Permalink
The Journey of Internal Conflict
#Manto, for his love for Bombay and his arrogance to pen down truth, to his journey in Lahore where arrogance to write truth use to suffocates his family, from the habit of writing truth with a pencil that can't be erased to the alcoholism which was his medicine to surpass all the contradictions, however bitter, his work maybe - a true mirror for society! #Brilliant work a must watch! #NanditaDas #Nawazuddin
- dhama-abhi
- Sep 17, 2018
- Permalink
Nawaz 👍🏻
Despite movie being slow , direction and performances were top notch ! Nawaz fans do watch it !
An Utter Disappointment
This depiction of manto is the worst. I've seen many other depictions, even local theatre depicted manto better than this. Many core events of manto's life weren't even touched and over all picturization wasn't very much eye catching. Really disappointed.
- musmankhalil
- May 13, 2019
- Permalink
Subtitles spoiled the whole film! Should have been more accurate and honest about Manto's life.
If you are one of those people who hate English subtitles in a Hindi movie, my sincere suggestion to you is to check before-hand if the subtitles are shown in the show you are going to watch.
I watched this movie, at INOX Bhubaneswar. God knows, who is the culprit behind this idiocy.
Apart from that, the movie is good, atleast from what I was able to make of it, despite the difficulty and frustration in understanding the dialogues, because of the subtitles. The acting of Nawaz is terrific. The insertion of his short-stories, into the film, is also well-done and blends near perfectly.
One thing, which I didn't like and was clearly avoidable, was the fact that the movie is not completely sincere, honest and accurate in it's depiction of Manto's life. For example, Manto started facing court trials in India only, and it did not start in Pakistan. He faced fine in only one of the total of six trials he faced. I am not fully aware of the financial hardships faced by him, but the effect and impact of the fine or the court decision, certainly seemed a bit exaggerated.
I watched this movie, at INOX Bhubaneswar. God knows, who is the culprit behind this idiocy.
Apart from that, the movie is good, atleast from what I was able to make of it, despite the difficulty and frustration in understanding the dialogues, because of the subtitles. The acting of Nawaz is terrific. The insertion of his short-stories, into the film, is also well-done and blends near perfectly.
One thing, which I didn't like and was clearly avoidable, was the fact that the movie is not completely sincere, honest and accurate in it's depiction of Manto's life. For example, Manto started facing court trials in India only, and it did not start in Pakistan. He faced fine in only one of the total of six trials he faced. I am not fully aware of the financial hardships faced by him, but the effect and impact of the fine or the court decision, certainly seemed a bit exaggerated.
- manubhatt3
- Sep 21, 2018
- Permalink
Brilliant and beautiful
nanditadas
scenes and scenarios constructed very polite and cute matured !!
Brilliant making !
( Thanks for many Beautiful scenes and Frames)
The Visionary storytelling style and fact revealing with the greatest cast Moreover #ZakirHussain score #Karthikvijay adorn Frames (Scenes between #Manto and #safia in park ) Made pure and poetic !!
The incredible cast #nawazuddinsiddiqui #rasikadugal #rajshrideshpande One of the finest Collaboration of Art work !!
#Manto Saab genius and spontaneous writer's of time's !!
The Visionary storytelling style and fact revealing with the greatest cast Moreover #ZakirHussain score #Karthikvijay adorn Frames (Scenes between #Manto and #safia in park ) Made pure and poetic !!
The incredible cast #nawazuddinsiddiqui #rasikadugal #rajshrideshpande One of the finest Collaboration of Art work !!
#Manto Saab genius and spontaneous writer's of time's !!
Manto needs to speak.
A movie is successful if makes you think beyond its script. This is one such movie. "Manto" forces you introspect on stereotypes and definitions. It challenges you to face contradictions in society. Entertains successfully while making you open to realities no matter how uncomfortable they are
- CineRenaissance
- Feb 16, 2019
- Permalink
Wrong model cars
Although they have put a lot of effort in making this as authentic as possible but Some of the cars (like a Morris Minor in which Manto uses as a taxi) are from later years.
- timraz-92192
- Jul 7, 2022
- Permalink
A tale of separation from and artist's point of view
An artist has mind and heart without fear, full of questions, freedom.
Manto, a Hindustani writer, a controversial figure, and an avid drinker to make the situation worse. This story is about the dilemma, the confusion, fear and anger of the separation of India and Pakistan in 1947.
Many books and movies have been made and will be written about the same for years to come.
What makes this one stand out then.
We dwell deep into the mind of a writer, who is trying to acknowledge the new reality (moving to Pakistan) and yet reluctant to accept it. His words, his poetry, his friends,his memories all left behind.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has portrayed the character just the way it was supposed to be.
The actual stories written by manto, are included into the movie, and they give a rather horrific account of the partition, a pain only the victims can understand. All supporting cast have done an equally great job.
It is another gem by Nandita Das.
A must watch if you want to witness what actual Indian cinema has to offer.
- shivammishra-29313
- May 29, 2019
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a story which needs to be told
#Manto is a story which needs to be told to todays generation. Many thanks to #nanditadas for making such a good film. Its the story of controversial writer #saadathasanmanto. His soul belongs to bombay, but hes forced to move to lahore after the partition. He smokes n drinks beyond limits n believes in narrating the bitter realities of life. Hes okay if his stories r labeled obscene, but hes insulted if someone says that they dont represent literature. Very good performances n meaningful dialogues r the plus points. This film needs ur love n support, do watch it in theaters. Rating 3.5/5.
Incomplete yet a 10!
A beautifully picturised drama.
Nandita Das did a good job with Manto but the story is not so good as the direction. Manto leads in many aspects like direction, cinematography, Zakir Hussain's music score and most importandly, performance. Every actor did an excellent job and Nawazuddin Siddique gave one of his best performance of his career.
This film makes you think.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui transforms into the infamous Sadat Hassan MANTO.
The writer had to face 6 court trails for obscenity due to his short films like Kaali Salwar and Thanda Ghost. This is depicted beautifully in the film by Nandita Das. She is brilliant behind the camera. I could identify with Manto and his pain because humanity was showing him their ghastly nature. He could not tolerate the killing in the name of religion. He was impacted by the rapes and murders that took place in the era of partition. He could never recover from it. As an artist his sensibility was hurt and he wrote shamelessly to show a mirror to the society he was living in. My heart goes out to Manto and I salute him for being a fearless writer who could express himself so well.
Saadat Hasan Manto - the writer who still divides opinions among masses
A masterpiece on the life of Saadat Hasan Manto. A genius of all time and he is character is very depicted by Nawazuddin Siddiqui (I honestly can't think of anyone, who could have done it better).
The movie cultivates critical thinking as much as the writings of Saadat Hasan Manto do.
Ssslow movie but wonderful screenplay
The plot is a conflict of views between the protagonist and the Pakistan legal laws. While, the protagonist Manto justifies it by saying presenting the reality as it is literature, the opposition party considers it as obscene irrespective of the context. One must give credit to the blending screenplay that justifies the saying - stories happen from what we see in real world. The movie is very slow and Siddiqui is the only savior for this period film. Credits to sound effects team and I have no idea why the cinematographer decided to show the protagonist face in the dark shadows in majority of the scene. This movie will definitely intrigue people who like slow intense movies.
- sriramthestranger
- Nov 29, 2019
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