Daily Times

The cast and crew of ‘Manto’ which included Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rishi Kapoor writer Javed Akhtar and singer Gurdas Maan did not charge for their work in the film though.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui asked for only INR1 for the film.  The “Gangs of Wassypur” actor plays the lead role of late Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto in the film and Nandita Das is immensely grateful for his offer to do it for such small fee.

“This is the character that an actor would give an arm and leg for. But to not charge even a nominal fee is very gracious of Nawaz,” declared the director.

She further said, “Trust me, there is more to life than money! The compensation comes in the form of experience and the joy of working on interesting projects. I, too, have done many such projects and have never looked for monetary compensation.”

Other well-known actors decided to do small parts merely to support the film, which include the actors like Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal.

“Rishi Kapoor and Gurdas Maan said yes in our first meeting. I also reached out to many whom I knew well and have used up all my goodwill to get a stellar cast that truly does justice to the characters in the film,” Das shared.

She also said, “While many have done cameo roles, they all bring their talent and credibility to the characters. Politically, we may have differing views, but there is a mutual respect as an artist and I am truly grateful they did the roles to perfection.”

Talking about of Akhtar, the director said, “I have known Javed Saab since before I did Fire… and I have always felt that he would be perfect in front of the camera. I thought it would be quite interesting to have a progressive writer of today defending Manto. You will see him in a new avatar.”