It was Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s conviction in the script of Manto that he agreed to portray the life of the late Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto.
Known for his fearless opinions, writer, playwright, and author, Manto was known to write about the atrocious truths that no one dared to talk about. The film and Nawazuddin's stellar performance was highly appreciated and the actor won 'Best Performance By An Actor' award at the recently held Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) ceremony.
Having made an impact at the prestigious 71st Cannes Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival this year, Manto was also selected for the special screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2018 in October this year.
Accepting Nawazuddin’s Best Actor trophy on his behalf, acclaimed filmmaker Nandita Das said, “Manto is a film which is very close to Nawaz and my heart and everybody who has worked on it. Through this film, we hope to spread a lot of Manto-ness all around the world. It’s much more than labour of love; it’s a labour of commitment and passion. Thank you Nawazuddin for being a part of this project.”
Manto released on September 21, 2018, and is produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, HP Studios, FilmStoc, Nandita Das Initiatives and co-produced by Magic If Films & En Compagnie des Lamas.