Saadat Hasan Manto was a creative writer, an iconic literary figure, and a man of passion. His short stories – touching themes of love, sexuality, treatment of women and harsh social realities of life – earned him both appreciation and controversy.
So Manto experienced personal struggles, and watched the society and its responses intensely, as a profoundly sensitive literary soul. Naturally, casting Manto into a movie demands a high quality of work – from writing a script and dialogue to performance of his persona, to direction.
(Sadat Hasan Manto Photo Wikipedia)
Pakistani-American film followers living in Washington metro area found out that the Manto cast performed tremendously to do justice to the portrayal of the writer, when they watched movie Manto.
Their conversation with director and protagonist Sarmad Sultan Khoosat (Manto) also revealed a splendid star of the reviving Pakistani cinema.
“It’s really about owning up what is a big treasure,” Sarmad Khoosat told Views and News, ahead of Sunday’s full house screening.
“How another generation like mine can find inspiration — at the same time we can find a lot of truth – so this is about owning a legacy with a lot of pride,” he said of Manto’s story.
Khoosat was attending a reception as Frank Islam, a prominent entrepreneur, hosted Pakistani and Indian actors and directors, who have traveled to appear in the South Asian Film Festival, while screening their productions. Islam was full of praise for the powerful works produced by the artists and directors.
Sarmad Khoosat, son of renowned actor Irfan Khoosat, won a high degree of praise from participants, when the film was screened on Sunday.
“I was extremely impressed by Sarmad, most talented, humble but sharp — he has played the role so beautifully – it will definitely help revival of Pakistani film,” said Dr. Zulfiqar Kazmi, a literary and culture expert, who moderated the discussion at Gilchrist Hall in Rockville, Maryland.
The film portrays last seven highly creative and tumultuous years of Manto’s life, written by Shahid Nadeem and produced by Babar Javed. The cast includes Sania Saeed, Saba Qamar and Nirma Bucha. Saba Qamar played the role of Noor Jehan, the legendary Pakistani singer, Manto met with several times and admired her as a “pure voice with such clear tone.”
The film times with hopeful signs toward revitalization of the Pakistani film industry, which in the 1970s ranked much higher in terms of production, behind only Bollywood and Hollywood.
