MOVIE REVIEW
Manto film review
W
henever someone talks about a recently released
Pakistani film being good, there is almost always
an obligatory “but” at the end of the sentence.
“It was good BUT the story fell flat.”
“It was good BUT the dialogue wasn’t well-written.”
Sarmad Khoosat’s Manto is a film that has finally been
able to break away from the tyranny of this “but” and has
managed to avoid any glaring shortcomings, setting a new
benchmark for the Pakistani film industry. A semi-autobiographical dramatisation of the life of renowned short-story
writer Manto, the film is gripping. Starring Khoosat himself
as Manto, the film manages to humanise the legendary
writer whose life and struggles have captured the imaginations of the Subcontinent for decades.The film begins in
1951, after Manto’s release from the Punjab Mental Hospital. Disillusioned by the recent partition and it’s resulting
bloodshed, and tormented by the painful memories of his
childhood and time in Mumbai, Manto sets to exploring the
darkest crevices of human psychology through his short
stories. With stories such as Thanda Goshth and Khol Do,
Manto soon becomes a controversial figure in literary circles and is summoned to court several times on charges of
obscenity.The film paints a picture of a man plagued by suffering and haunted by stories that are demanding to be told.
It moves fluidly betw Y[