“Bol ke lab azaad hai!” Saadat Hassan Manto, the controversial writer fought for freedom in his own way. With ink and paper, he redefined the idea of freedom. On Independence Day, Nawazuddin Siddiqui gave us a gift by bringing Manto back to life on screen.
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As promised the trailer of Nandita Das directorial, Manto was unveiled today. Nawazuddin took to Twitter and shared the trailer of the film, he wrote, “Bol ke lab azaad hai! This Independence Day, let’s celebrate the freedom that #Manto stood for.”
Bol ke lab azaad hai! This Independence Day, let’s celebrate the freedom that #Manto stood for. https://t.co/L5yYocUoct@mantofilm @HP #FilmStoc @Viacom18Movies @nanditadas @RasikaDugal @TahirRajBhasin @gurdasmaan @Javedakhtarjadu @SirPareshRawal @chintskap @MagicIfFilms
— Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) August 14, 2018
In the few odd minutes, Nawazuddin took us through a journey that showed the struggles of Manto’s free mind in the unbearable times. The writer’s fight against censorship to safeguard his work which spoke about the reality of the society. Manto follows the most tumultuous years in the life of an iconoclastic writer and those of the countries — India and Pakistan — which Manto inhabited and chronicled. Emphasizing the point, “Why can’t reality be shown as it is? My stories are a mirror for society to see itself,” Nawazuddin once again questions the society in the present times. Check out the trailer here.
Earlier, talking about Nawazuddin as Manto, director of the film Nandita Das told IANS, “I always had Nawaz in mind while writing ‘Manto’. He has many traits that are similar to Manto – a deep sensitivity and intensity, anger, and a dry sense of humour. These innate qualities in Nawaz helped him transition into Manto on screen quite effortlessly.”
Read more: Manto to Osho: Upcoming biopics based on controversial lives
Manto has Rasika Duggal as Manto’s wife, and Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Ila Arun and Rajshri Deshpande in pivotal roles, with Javed Akhtar making his screen debut. The film is slated to be released on September 21.