A new trailer of Nandita Das’s Saadat Hasan Manto biopic asks pertinent questions about the meaning of freedom through the voice of the revered iconoclastic Urdu writer, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Co-produced by HP Studios, Filmstoc, Nandita Das Ventures and Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Manto chronicles the writer’s time in Bombay and the impact of the Partition on his life and work.
The trailer depicts Manto’s ideology, specifically elaborating on his approach towards crafting female characters. “If you cannot bear my stories, it is because we live in unbearable times,” he says.
The cast includes Rasika Dugal as Manto’s wife, Safia, alongside Rishi Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Javed Akhtar and Paresh Rawal. Manto was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, and will be released in India on September 21.