Nawazuddin in a still from Manto
Highlights
- Manto is based on the life of Indo-Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto
- Manto is Nandita Das' second venture as a director
- Rasika Dugal will be seen portraying the role of Manto's wife in the film
Actress turned filmmaker Nandita Das shared a glimpse of her upcoming film
Manto starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui on Facebook. In the 6-minute long clip, Nawazuddin Siddiqui can be seen addressing a classroom and expressing his strong beliefs about freedom of speech in a democracy.
Manto, based on the life of Indo-Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto, features Nawazuddin in title role and will focus on the writer's non-fictional work. The film is Nandita Das' second venture as a director. She made her debut as a director in 2008 with
Firaaq starring Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Paresh Rawal, Sanjay Suri and Tisca Chopra. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2008 and has travelled to over 50 film festivals, winning over 20 awards.
Watch the short film released by Nandita Das here:
Manto will also see Rasika Dugal portray the role of Saadat Hasan Manto's wife. Chandan Roy Sanyal, who is known for his roles in films like -
Kaminey and
D-Day will also be part of the film.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who was last seen in
Raees starring Shah Rukh Khan and Mahira Khan, shared the first look from his upcoming movie on Twitter on February 2.
Nandita Das, who recently attended the Mijwan Summer 2017 fashion show in Mumbai, also told news agency IANS that Shabana Azmi and lyricist Javed Akhtar will feature in her upcoming film. She said: "My next movie is titled
Manto. Preparations are going on, Shabana Azmi is acting in it and it is a secret but Javed Akhtar is also part of the movie."
As an actress, Nandita Das is known for her performance in movies such as
Fire,
Earth,
Bawandar,
Kannathil Muthamittal,
Azhagi and
Before the Rains.
(With IANS inputs)