Nandita Das is one person who dons several hats simultaneously. A mother, movie actress and theatre artist, she has served on several national and international film juries and has chaired the Children’s Film Society. In 2008, Nandita turned director with the hard-hitting Firaaq on the Gujarat 2002 riots. Now she returns with a biopic on legendary Urdu litterateur Sadat Hassan Manto. Excerpts from an interview:
Q.You are directing Nawazuddin Siddiqui again. Firaaq was the first movie that gave him a break. What made you select Nawaz for Manto?
Firaaq was the first feature length film where Nawaz was seen in a substantial role. Since then, I have admired his range and authenticity as an actor. Manto is a challenging role and the nuances required to perform Manto are found in very few actors. I am so glad I have found Nawaz to play this unique character that explores a vast range of emotions and is full of contradictions — a character not easy to pull off.
Q. Who else have you cast?
I’ve finalised Rasika Dugal for Manto’s wife Safia. Nawaz and Rasika will make for a very strong pair in a film that is so character-driven.
Q. Why Manto?
For years, I had nursed the idea of making a film on Manto, even before I made Firaaq. But at first, I felt overwhelmed by the large canvas — a period film set in Bombay and Lahore. His work, while being personal and nuanced, also explored the big event of the times — Partition. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the research it would entail and was unsure if I had the depth and experience needed to portray a man like him. But now, I feel equipped, both emotionally and creatively, to tell this story.
Q. Which aspects of Manto’s life and art would you focus on?
What to keep and what to let go has been the most difficult thing so far. But I have narrowed down to the most interesting seven years in the life of Manto and that of the two cities he inhabits. But his life story cannot be told without giving a glimpse of his work. It is not based on any one book, or any specific work.
Q. How much research went into the project?
My co-conspirator Mir Ali Hussain and I have been working on the script for three years now. It has been a long journey for me to get to know Saadat Hasan Manto, the man and the writer. He wrote as he saw, as he felt, without dilution, and with a rare sensitivity and empathy for his characters. His essays and polemics about his life, in what was then Bombay and later in Lahore, helped the idea expand beyond his stories. From visits to Lahore, interacting closely with his family and friends – I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know Manto beyond what one can find in books. All three of Manto’s daughters and his grand niece Ayesha Jalal, the historian, are offering me unconditional support for the project.
Q. When do you start shooting?
We are in the process of finalising the schedule. My main producer Robin Raina, whose first film this will be, is investing half the budget and a quarter by Vivek Kajaria, the producer of Fandry and then there are European producers who are working towards raising funds. Once all those fall in place, we will finalise the shooting schedule.
Q. What took you so long to return to direction?
Since Firaaq, there are many things I’ve been busy with. In addition to being a full-time mother to Vihaan, I was the chairperson of the Children’s Film Society for three years, have been writing a monthly column for a magazine and have been doing a lot of social advocacy — speaking at various forums and educational institutions. I also acted in a Spanish film called Traces of Sandalwood and then Albert Pinto ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, a conceptual remake of the Saeed Mirza film, slated to release later this year. I spent a whole semester in 2014 as a World Fellow at Yale University. And then researching for Manto project has kept me super busy.
