Manto on Netflix

Nandita Das’s film, Manto, based on the life of famous Urdu writer, Saadat Hasan Manto, is an  impressive account of the maverick writer's short-lived, but eventful life. His controversial writing during the turbulent times of Independence, certainly deserved a cinematic adaptation, and this film successfully captures the essence of what Manto stood for both in his personal and professional life.

The film deftly captures the angst and beliefs of this fearless and unhinged writer, who didn’t mince  words while addressing the menaces of his society which often landed him in trouble, and court cases remained his lifelong companion. Hence, it is not surprising that even in his short-lived life (he died at the age of 42), he leaves behind a legacy of work so inspiring that, as students of literature when we read them, we all wanted to be Mantos. 

Toba Tek Singh, his short story that ridicules partition like no other, finds a special place towards the end of this film. While his long struggle with finding acceptance for his most notorious story, ‘Thanda Gosht’, as chilling as the title, is given just enough presence in the film to show the grit and determination with which he pursued his beliefs and stuck to his principles. This is also largely reflective of the times in which he was writing, where social issues were brushed aside to celebrate the newly found status of two independent nations of the sub-continent - India and Pakistan. And one cannot miss the irony of the battle against censorship on free speech and expression then, and the fact that, very little has changed even today. 

For a film that is based on the life of a courageous writer of possibly the most significant years of our country, it was essential that the dialogues were as hard hitting as the man in question. And the film delivers on that count too, staying away from any unnecessary gimmick, and striking the right balance of drama and content. 

For an artist as controversial as Manto, it is easy to pick any aspect of his life, either professional or personal, and create a feature film out of it. But this film picks just the right elements to highlight those areas that represent the fire-brand writer best. 

His forced move from Bombay to Lahore post partition had a huge impact on Manto and his writing. And the latter half of his professional and personal life was spent mourning over the loss of a city he was deeply in love with. And when he couldn’t find the Bombay of his love in Lahore, the disillusionment started to creep into his writing. And unfortunately, it took a toll on his personal life too. But with each new turn of events, he found new inspiration to write and create. 

This film not only brings alive Manto, the progressive thinker and writer, but the loving partner and father that he was to his family. There are many endearing scenes in the film that captivate his family life which reveal his gentler side, showing the sensitive human being that gets easily affected by an unjust society. He is particularly sensitive with issues relating to women, whether it is about the plight of women forced into prostitution, or his treatment of women as equals. In this regard, his contemporary and another controversial writer of those times, Ismat Chugtai, best known for her short story, Lihaaf, finds special screen presence in Manto’s life story. 

While on the one hand Manto is shown to hob-nob with the biggies of Bombay Talkies, on the other hand, he is shown to find creative inspiration  in places far removed from the bright lights of the  studio. This aspect of his life encapsulates what he truly represented as an artist. 

And at the end, it is the man who played Manto, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, about whom anything said would sound repetitive. Here he not only plays the titular role, but he becomes Manto. The fierceness in his dialogues, the sharp piercing grip of his eyes, and the fragility of his body, capture the very essence of who Manto might have been for as long as he lived. And I doubt there could be any better actor to take on this mammoth task and mouth those gritty dialogues with the same conviction. 

Some of the most engaging sequences in the film are heightened in effect by the melancholic music that runs in the background, handled with utmost care by none other than legendary tabla player, Zakir Hussain. And the film also boasts of dragging lyricist Javed Akhtar to mouth few dialogue in his chaste Urdu, besides getting some of the best talents of the industry to play relatively insignificant roles. 

I had watched Das’s directorial debut Firaaq few years back, and remember complaining about many things that didn’t quite sit well with me. But with Manto, she hits many right notes. The film's relevance in the current political climate of our country is an unfortunate reality we are living with. In that sense, Manto lives on amongst us, as an inspiration for generations to come. And hence, this film, I feel was long overdue. Glad it came at the right time, and from the right people.