Kolkata International Film Festival honour for Pakistani film floors ‘Manto’ duo

KOLKATA: Pakistani director-actor Sarmad Sultan Khoosat and his ‘Manto’ co-star Nimra Bucha have already arrived in the city, well ahead of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which kicks off on Sunday. This is the first visit of the duo to any Indian city with their film that focuses on the life of Saadat Hasan Manto.
Despite having a visa to travel to Mumbai, the duo had given the Mumbai screening of their movie a miss.The reason, they claimed, was ‘fear’. Not that they were officially asked to cancel their visit. But the message was clear for them to understand. “Our film would get screened but we could understand that our visit would be underplayed,” Sarmad said. Neither wanted to hide behind the wings while the film was being screened.
The memory of the Ghulam Ali controversy in Mumbai had not faded yet. Of course, both Sarmad and Nimra have no qualms about admitting that their popularity doesn’t come anywhere close to that of the ghazal maestro. “We could easily move around incognito,” Sarmad said.
Before the Kolkata screening (on Sunday), the duo want to soak in all the sights and sounds of Bengal. The wishlist include savouring Kolkata’s mutton biryani, picking up Suttons seeds for Nimra’s garden and a visit to Santiniketan or the Ray residence at 1/1 Bishop Lefroy Road.
Manto’s popularity in Kolkata doesn’t come as a surprise to either Sarmad or Nimra. But they aren’t aware of how Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Rajkahini’ has paid a tribute to Manto’s ‘Khol Do’. They ask about the plotline of Srijit’s Partition tale that is set in a brothel tale and find resonances with Manto’s ‘Toba Tek Singh’. “I am waiting for Nandita Das’ film on Manto,” Sarmad said.
Despite the camaraderie, Sarmad and Nirma are not unaware of the tensions. Do they know the accusations leveled against Pakistani artistes by a faction in India who state that they take advantage of reaching out to a larger audience by working in India but hardly condemn acts of terrorism when they return to Pakistan? “That’s not true. We are ourselves victims of terrorism. Unfortunately, these aren’t reported here. Sarmad has been mugged twice in Pakistan,” Nimra said.
Sarmad, on his part, recalled how Pakistan’s top producer Satish Anand was once abducted. “He was diabetic and his abductors even provided him insulin. Another actor was kidnapped and I was asked to step in and play his role,” Sarmad said.
Kolkata’s warmth and especially, the pro-activeness of the Bengal government to host the Pakistani film, has touched both Sarmad and Nimra. They insist that it is ‘heartening’ to note that people in positions of power are keen on fostering bilateral ties.