MUMBAI: Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955) is considered one of the greatest writers born , with his literature being well ahead of its time. Bringing alive the legacy of the man and his turbulent yet inspirational story on the silver screen is Nandita Das’s directorial venture, Manto. The film that was selected as India’s official entry at the Cannes Film Festival & a special presentation at the Sydney Film Festival, has now be selected for a screening at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival 2018 (TIFF). The film festival is scheduled from September 6th to 16th this year.
Elated with the announcement, Ajit Andhare – COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures said, “Saadat Hasan Manto’s life and work on celluloid is a dream we have nurtured with Nandita for a while now. Manto’s journey as a film could not have started on a more positive note with the film’s selection at the prestigious film festivals at Cannes, Sydney and now Toronto,.”
Nandita Das shared, “I have been to TIFF as an actor many a time, right from my first film, Fire, in 1996. The last time I was there was for the world premiere of Firaaq in 2008. So, it has been 10 long years! I am so looking forward to being back, and that too with Manto. TIFF attracts a very engaged and enthusiastic audience – both international and the diaspora of the Subcontinent. Excited!”
Portraying the fearless writer Manto is the versatile Nawazuddin Siddiqui while Rasika Dugal plays his ever-supportive wife; Safia. The film also features an ensemble star cast of Rishi Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Ranvir Shorey, Paresh Rawal, Gurdas Mann, Divya Dutta and many more.
Manto marks a first of its kind collaboration of Viacom18 Motion Pictures one of India’s biggest movie stories, known for bringing ground breaking content to audiences in India and around the world, with the technology brand HP Inc. that has also come on board through its recently launched content arm – HP Studios. The film is produced by Filmstoc & co-produced by Shamas Nawab Siddiqui and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Magic If Films along with En Compagnie des Lamas, one of the leading independent producers in France.
