In this book, I have chosen to share not just my creative, but also my emotional, political, and spiritual experiences of the six years I spent with Manto. I knew Manto and I were going to travel together through this a very personal journey.
I believe, together, the images and words will tell you a story you haven’t seen on the screen.
If you have seen the film, I think you will enjoy reading about the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of making it. If you have not seen the film, I hope this book piques your interest enough that you will want to see it. You will be privy to the intimate process I have had making the film. I have been as candid as I could in sharing the excitement, the challenges, and the trials and tribulations of making the film.
With Manto and I, my journey feels complete.
NANDITA DAS has acted in more than forty feature films in ten different languages. Her directorial debut in 2008 was Firaaq, which won many accolades and appreciation, both in India and abroad. She was on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival twice (2005 and 2013), among others. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work and is a strong advocate for social justice and human rights. Nandita has been passionately supporting the campaign against colour bias, called ‘Dark Is Beautiful’, which she relaunched as ‘India’s Got Colour’ in 2019. She was conferred the ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ by the French Government and was the first Indian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the International Women’s Forum. She was also selected as a World Yale Fellow in 2014.
Nandita was the Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society and wrote a monthly column for eight years in the Indian magazine, The Week. Manto, Nandita’s second directorial film premiered in 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival and travelled to many other festivals around the world. Manto can be watched on Netflix.
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