I have not tried to project a two-dimensional image of him or attempted to glamourise him, says Khoosat who plays the great Urdu writer
One of the most talked about films at the ongoing 21st Kolkata International Film Festival is Manto, directed by Pakistani filmmaker Sarmad Sultan Khoosat.
The film, according to Mr. Khoosat, is an attempt to take Saadat Hasan Manto — the great Urdu writer — beyond the halls of academia, to a larger audience. It presents the internal conflicts of the genius and how, despite all his troubles, he never forsook his writing. Manto will be screened at the Goa International Film Festival and later at a film festival in New Delhi. It will also be released commercially in India.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, the director of the film talks about his project, the persona of Manto and his legacy of tolerance in an increasingly intolerant world.
How did the idea of making a film on Manto come to you?
It is really a case of something finding you rather than you finding it.
This film is actually a derivative of a television series I had made “Main Manto” which we wanted to air on the 100th birth anniversary of Saadat Hasan Manto in 2012. The series was finally aired in 2013. Our producers got interested in the idea of the film and the screenplay was written by Shahid Nadeem. We started working on the film late in 2013 and the post production started in 2014. Right now, it is being shown at various international festivals, following which we plan a global release.
What made you decide to play the lead role of Manto?
It is a period film and I did not want it to appear as just another film with a lot of emphasis on accuracy and research. I wanted there to be a connection with the subject at an emotional and intellectual level. I asked myself whether I have the time which I can give to another actor to develop that connection. Finally, considering the fascination and understanding I have for the figure of Manto, I took the selfish decision of playing the lead role myself.
In the film there are a lot of instances where the characters of Manto’s stories make their appearance on screen. What was it about Manto which you wanted to portray through his characters.
The art and the artist cannot be separated. A writer or an artist has a physical presence and at the intellectual level he is always negotiating with his art. This film is my subjective interpretation of Manto and the characters from stories like Toba Tek Singh, and Thandha Ghosh come to haunt him. There is a lot of conflict in his head and pain in his heart, particularly in the context of the horrors of the Partition.
So the film addresses the more human side of Manto?
Yes. The film is not just about the controversies that surrounded him — his alcoholism, his rebellious nature etc. I have not tried to project a two-dimensional image of him or attempted to glamourise him. He is a genius but at the same time a human being with his own flaws.
In the film, there is a reference to Mirza Ghalib and some of his verses are used at critical junctures.
Manto was also somebody who was very arrogant and sparing in his admiration for other writers. The nearest example, I felt, was Ghalib himself. In fact in the film there is a reference to Manto writing the screenplay of the film Mirza Ghalib in 1954. It was a very conscious decision to use Ghalib’s verse.
http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/pakistani-film-on-manto-to-be-released-in-india/article7900830.ece
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