Manto trailer: The biopic of Pakistani author looks as intriguing as the subject

Biopics of inspirational sportsmen and controversial celebs are very common in the Indian film industry. But when Pakistan makes a biopic on of the most controversial personalities, author Sadat Hassan Manto you have to sit up and take notice. [caption id=“attachment_2420138” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Manto film poster. Image Credit: Official Facebook page[/caption] The trailer for Manto is out and it looks very promising. The opening words of the video set he tone for the trailer “Log kehte hain woh Urdu ka bara adeeb hai. Magar Urdu ussay ab bhi nahi aati.” (People say he was an Urdu scholar but he did’t know Urdu at all) And this contradiction and irony is reflected throughout the trailer where it’s established that he is an artist but does not enjoy success. The 2-minute trailer captures his struggles as much as his romance and all of it is framed with dark and intriguing cinematography. One of the things to look forward in the film is the screenplay which is derived from many of his popular works such as Thanda Gosht, Madari, License, Hatak and Peshawar Se Lahore, according to its description. The film is directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, who also plays title role along with Sania Saeed, Saba Qamar, Mahira Khan (who will be seen in Raees with Shah Rukh Khan) and Shamoon Abbasi. Manto was no ordinary figure - despite being a prolific author, he had financial problems, he was an alcoholic and in fact died in his 40s due to his excessive drinking. He was repeatedly tried for obscenity but never convicted. This  Hindustan Times story calls him “the James Dean of India’s literary circles.” With such an interesting  personality as the subject, we hope the biopic is just as interesting. Watch the full video here