Nandita Das draws inspiration from her father for 'Manto'

Filmmaker Nandita Das has spent over four years for conducting in-depth research, writing and putting together 'Manto', the biopic on acknowledged writer Saadat Hassan Manto. Interestingly, she has drawn inspiration from her father, Jatin Das -- a painter who has never stuck to the norms of the art market, is blunt, sensitive and often misunderstood like Manto was in his times. It took Nandita numerous meetings and conversations with people who shared her passion for Manto to make her dream project come alive.

For her, casting Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the title role was a natural choice. The actor has consistently displayed the capacity to slip into the skin of any character. In this case, he could portray the contradictions within Manto with relative ease. When Nandita met the actor at the

Cannes Film Festival

in 2013, and mentioned the story to him, he was instantly drawn to the idea of crafting the biopic.

Nandita says, “While the journey of making Manto had several challenges, there were also moments of great high. I met lots of idealists and mavericks who were drawn to Manto and ended up being part of the team, and now, are a part of my life. Since it’s a period film, it required a huge cast and crew. Within the team, there are many people that I itch to work with again. My six-year labour of love is finally reaching its culmination.”

'Manto', produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, HP Studios, FilmStoc, Nandita Das Initiatives and co-produced by Magic If Films and En Compagnie des Lamas, releases on September 21.