Daily Times

Olomopolo arranged a screening of the Pakistani film ‘Manto’ produced in 2015. The film stars actor Sarmad Sultan Khoosat as Manto and Sania Saeed as Safiya Manto.

The film doesn’t have a linear narrative, as the short stories of Manto are interspersed with the story of his life, and both are equally morbid.

But there is some comic relief. Certain characters like Beghum Sahiba and Mian Sahab were hilarious. Their struggle with an unromantic marriage was tragicomic but sensitively presented.

Manto’s association with the late legend Noor Jehan was also explored in this film. This is a rare glimpse into the friendship of two iconic artists who both migrated from the Bombay film industry and eventually spearheaded Pakistan’s cultural evolution.

Scenes from the Lakshmi mansion of Manto walking in the surrounding area and hailing a tonga are heart-warming to watch. The film is not just an attempt to commemorate Manto but also a lost Pakistan. The images of Pakistan Radio, film studios, Anarkali Bazaar, Diamond Market, vintage Karachi and railway stations remind us of the Pakistan of the yesteryears. The peace, the calm, the simplicity of clothing and language as well as a gradual rise of conservatism have been depicted in this film.

This is a Pakistan that is now forever lost but the signs of the current political and social chaos are already erupting. And of course, Manto, being a newspaper columnist, was a keen observer and analyst of the changing times.

This is perhaps the most authentic depiction of Noor Jehan –a passionate, open and seductive powerhouse of talent. She was at the peak of her cinematic stardom in those days just as Manto was at the summit of his infamy

The short stories are the ones that got Manto in trouble for obscenity. They include Thanda Gosht, Toba Tek Singh, License, Upar, Neechay aur Darmiyan and Peshawar Se Lahore. Thankfully all of them were not just presented as stories but also as tiny musicals or just assimilations of key dialogues and names.

Women were central in Manto’s life, whether as fictional characters in his stories or real life. Though Sania Saeed delivered a nuanced performance as Safia Manto, other actresses appeared to be too cautious. The only one who appeared to be enjoying herself, was Saba Qamar who played the role of Noor Jahan with the much-needed panache and confidence the character required.

This is perhaps the most authentic depiction of Noor Jehan’s – a passionate, open and seductive powerhouse of talent. She was at the peak of her cinematic stardom in those days just as Manto was at the summit of his infamy.

Hardly anyone associated with the film seemed to understand that since Lahore is the heart of Punjab, the colloquial language, the culture, and ethos of Manto’s life should have Punjabi in it. Usage of Punjabi was completely avoided despite Manto’s biographers confirming that this was the language he used in his everyday conversations.

Shahid Nadeem, who is affiliated with the Ajoka Theater and writes most of their plays, was successful in creating suspense, drama and even humor in an otherwise predictable and well-known tragedy. He also remained truthful to the writings of Manto and capturing the period drama.

Despite some deviations from the facts, the film serves as an introduction to Manto the writer. Since Manto’s works are still not a part of the Urdu school curriculum, many youngsters can watch this poignant interpretation of his life as their first reference to the author who shook Pakistan with his timeless stories and essays. Other details of the author’s life were taken from his letters and other sources.

There is always a risk when it comes to depicting Manto’s life and works to a Pakistani audience which is much more religious and conservative than during the writer’s time. And there is the risk of sanitising the story so much that it doesn’t remain ‘Mantoesque’ anymore.

After all topics like ‘fallen women’, sexual duplicity and exploitation in our society and hypocrisy are still taboo in Pakistan. But to rid the film of Kalwant Kaur’s longing in Thanda Gosht and the sexual frustrations of Beghum Sahiba in Upar, Neeche Aur Darmiyan or the loss of Sakina in Khol Do, Saugandhi in Hattak or Naiti the tongawalli in License – these women-centric stories cannot be done justice by removing the characters’ sexual conflict.

Thankfully, the director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat and the writer Shahid Nadeem delivered them as creatively as possible. The conflicts are not just sexual of course but also societal, religious and psychological.

So is Manto’s struggle with alcoholism and hallucinations that make his life all the more intriguing. Manto’s shortcomings and challenges are presented in detail in the film. So are their consequences, particularly his addiction and his failure to fund his own household.

The film’s end, though incredibly tragic and sorrowful, received applause from the audience.

‘Manto’ is unavailable online for downloading and has not been yet released on DVD. Therefore this was a rare opportunity to watch the film and that too on the big screen.

The crowd was small but very classy, with the majority being older.

The interest in the film has probably been rekindled by the Indian upcoming film biopic on Manto due to be released for public screening sometime this year. Hopefully, it will be approved by the Pakistani censor board and we will get to watch the amazing Nawazuddin Siddiqui play Urdu literature’s finest short storyist.

Ali Sethi’s ‘Ah Ku Chahiye’ added some soothing nostalgia about the good old terror-free past of Pakistan when life was still predictable. There could have been a discussion on the film afterward but that was not in the plan and it was already very late. But the film was engaging, never boring or dull and also not maudlin. There was a constraint in the dialogues and performances by the artists. The audience remained engaged to the very end and this was a successful event. Hopefully, more such screenings of such artistic and thought-provoking films will be held in Pakistan.

The writers in based in Lahore, tweets as @ammarawrites and her complete works are available on www.ammaraahmad.com

Published in Daily Times, July 18^th 2018.