MUMBAI MIRROR (March 22, 2017)

Nandita Das’s second directorial, the Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Manto, has found its Ismat Chughtai in actress Rajshri Deshpande, who was previously seen in Angry Indian Goddesses.

Along with Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chughtai, his literary contemporary and a close friend, was a progressive feminist in the India of pre-Independence. “Ït’s not a character for me but a state of mind. Ismat has been the voice of many women. She was free-thinking and open-minded... Such a badass. That’s what draws me to her,” says Rajshri.