‘Manto had to fight for his freedom of expression 70 years ago and many of us are having to do the same, today. Censorship anywhere, and in all forms, is dangerous as it silences voices that need to be heard. It is only when we hear multiple voices that we grow as people and as a society’
Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; January 18, 2019)

Recently, there were reports about writers and activists in Pakistan raising their voice to revoke the ban on Manto, a biopic on the famous Urdu author Saadat Hasan Manto, which has been written and directed by Nandita Das. In a quick chat with BT, Nandita talks about how the story of Manto is relevant both to India and Pakistan and enumerates the reasons why the Pakistan Censor Board didn’t give her film a clean chit. Excerpts...

Manto was banned in Pakistan, but earlier this week, writers and activists carried out a peaceful protest for the release of the film. Your thoughts...
A censored Manto in his times was censored again. He fought for freedom of expression then, and now, we fight to tell his story. I am truly overwhelmed by the responses that have poured in. But nothing could have prepared me for the spontaneous, widespread support the protest against the ban on the film in Pakistan has garnered. It is very moving to see that so many writers, artists, activists; concerned citizens have taken it upon themselves to fight the battle. My team and I can take zero credit for this. Such protests are seldom undertaken without the filmmakers’ initiative. Rarely do people take it upon themselves to fight for lifting the ban on a film, and that too, from another country. This shows me that beyond borders, the fight for freedom of expression is the same. Through social media, I have been sharing my gratitude to all those who have taken to the streets. I told them I was there with them in spirit, and I am sure so is the entire Manto team.

The film was not cleared by the Pakistan Censor Board. What do you think were the reasons?
I have always said that Manto belongs equally to India and Pakistan. To divide him along lines of nationality or religion would be doing a great disservice to him and his legacy. That is why, from the beginning, I have been very keen for the film to simultaneously release in India and Pakistan. I even found one of the best distributors in Pakistan, but soon realised that it was easier said than done. Even as Bollywood films are popular across Pakistan, I was surprised to know that India and Pakistan could not have direct business dealings. The relationship is so fragile that both countries are often banning each other’s art or artists. So, after much back and forth with the distributors, we just got the news that Manto has not passed the censor board. The reasons cited are that it has an ‘anti-Partition narrative theme and explicit scenes’, which is against the norms of the Pakistani society.’ These kinds of verdicts are not unknown to us in India either. I personally have had to face Censor Board committees for both Firaaq and Manto. After several hours of negotiations, I managed to get minimal audio cuts and no visual ones. Unfortunately, I won’t get the opportunity to present my case to the Pakistani Censor Board. But I feel I owe an explanation to the audience, who suffer the most. In the last six years that I have been working on Manto, many in Lahore and Karachi have shared their interest and been waiting anxiously to see it on the big screen. So, this explanation is really for them. To call a film ‘Anti-Partition’ is actually stating a fact. With 2 million dead and 14 million displaced, Partition has changed our narrative with long-lasting and far-reaching consequences. From my first visit to Pakistan in 1996, I was sensitised to the fact that what we call Partition, is in fact seen as Independence. And understandably so. But the pain that it has caused should not be undermined. It is the pain felt by many on both sides of the border. While the birth of a nation is much cause for celebration, one cannot separate it from the pain of Partition. Similarly, it was no surprise that the Jury of the 2018 Edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) chose not to take Manto. I hear this was largely because they thought it was an ‘Anti-India’ film. I am sure the irony is not lost on any one! Therefore, I speak not as an Indian, but as an artiste, who simply wants to tell the story that needs to be told.

Manto’s times were no different and maybe that’s why he chose to tell personal stories that would humanise the “other”. I, too, have kept my lens intimate, so as not to distract viewers with the popular narrative of identity politics. The film by no means points fingers at anybody except showing us a mirror as to what we, as human beings, are capable of doing. Manto always believed that the best of us have shadows and the worst can be redeemed. And it’s that grey area that the film attempts to show. About their point of ‘explicit scenes’, all I can say is that it is a relative term. I am not sure how a film that has no nudity at all and has got a U/A certificate in India can be called ‘explicit’.

It is a well-known fact that for a long time, Manto was read behind closed doors primarily due to the “explicit” nature of his stories. He was seen as a writer of “obscene” stories, the same ones that we are celebrating today. It was only in 2012, his centenary year, that he was finally embraced and posthumously conferred the highest civilian award by the Pakistan government, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz. How can a writer be so honoured while his work is still being considered inappropriate? Manto had to fight for his freedom of expression 70 years ago and many of us are having to do the same, today. Censorship anywhere, and in all forms, is dangerous as it silences voices that need to be heard. It is only when we hear multiple voices that we grow as people and as a society.

Is freedom of expression only in theory and not in practice when it comes to any country, be it India or Pakistan?
Freedom of expression is one of the most important pillars of democracy. While it may seem an intangible goal, it affects each of our lives. Our Constitution gives us those rights but in reality, if we are attacked, we must all speak up. Bol ke lab azad hain tere, the song I end the film with, is what I want to leave the audience with. We have to speak up against injustice and in defence of freedom.