Saadat Hasan Manto. I did not know anything about this author until I saw-what felt like a movie scene at that time-the classroom guest lecture of Manto. Later it turned out that it is a separate short filmed shot by the same director Nandita Das. You can easily find it on YouTube. The writing was very compelling. It moved to me to watch the movie and on that front, I was very happy to have picked this film.

While writing about the film, it is necessary to separate the author and the film. Since I have not read Manto's works, it would not be right to comment on the author, however, the way the film progresses, it brings some of his stories to life by interweaving them with the narrative.

Every author takes some inspiration from the world around him. Manto used to look at the world as if the people in it are the characters from his novels. Hence, this choice of making them part of the film was a fantastic artistic choice. The film opens with one of his stories and ends with one too. Even a casual moviegoer can make the distinction from his stories and the biographical part of the film. That is one of the biggest plus points of the film.

The other thing that works is writing. Manto primarily wrote in Urdu. Nandita Das, who has also the writer, has taken that in all seriousness and the entire script unapologetically has many Urdu words. That helps in setting the tone, takes us closer to the character and helps to create Pakistan just after the partition on screen. His monologues, although not many, are direct and straight from the heart. Like Manto's writing, he does not mince words even when talking. He talks with conviction and clarity of thought. The writing is fabulous, but it is Nawazuddin Siddiqui who lives the life of the author on screen with sheer brilliance. It is a real treat to watch him delivering lines one after the other.

Since many of the stories are intermingled with the story narrative, Nandita Das has taken many well-established actors to enact those shorts. You see Paresh Rawal, Divya Dutta, Ranvir Shorey, Niraj Kabi and many others just for few scenes. They help in switching the narration and choosing industry stalwarts has helped in giving weight on both the author and his art separately. Also a special separate shoutout to Rasika Dugal for standing toe to toe with Nawazuddin. She brings to life the sorted, patient wife of the artist. Almost always the spouse of an artist needs to be very mature and understanding, and Rasika brings out that element on screen effortlessly.

Many things are working for this film, and cinematography is also one such strong suit. Kartik Vijay's camera brings out the correct sepia tone of a period piece, his camera films Mumbai in a nostalgic flair. Manto always missed the city after going to Pakistan and Kartik's camera brings out that charm of the city from 1947.

If there is one thing I am not particularly happy about, that would be ending. The film ends with a short story, Toba Tek Singh and unless the audience is aware of it, the ending feels sudden and unconvincing. The tale comes to an abrupt end. Especially for the writing, I felt the film shouldn't come to an end, hence the end felt even blunter.

Overall, a definite watch for Nawazuddin Siddiqui and writing and direction of Nandita Das.