From taking them to Prithvi theatre to visiting author’s favourite haunts, Rasika on how the biopic’s team hosted Nusrat and Nuzhat on their India trip
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 18, 2018)

Days after mid-day reported that Nandita Das was keen to have Saadat Hasan Manto’s daughters — Nighat Patel, Nuzhat Arshad and Nusrat Jalal — by her side at the India premiere of Manto, the director’s wish has been realised. Jalal and Arshad landed in Mumbai on Saturday, giving them enough time to bond with actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rasika Dugal, who play Manto and wife Safia in the biopic.

Talking to mid-day, Dugal says that Das had a single objective for their Sunday outing — to familiarise the daughters with the city that Manto lived in and loved. “Nandita took them on a walk in town, showing them places that their parents used to visit often. Nusrat aapa and Shahid saab [her husband] were moved by the gesture,” says Dugal, adding that an evening at the city’s much-loved theatre, Prithvi, was only fitting, given that they have inherited their father’s love for art. “We sat in the cafe, talking about cinema, theatre, and of course, Manto and Safia! We even went to the bookstore and bought a collection of Manto’s essays.”

Dugal also hosted a dinner in their honour. “Nandita, Nawaz and I had dinner with the family where Saeed sahab [a common friend of the Manto family and Das] read out a beautiful fictional piece he had written about Nandita meeting Manto.”

After the Mumbai premiere last night, the daughters will attend the biopic’s Delhi premiere tomorrow.

Rohit Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 22, 2018)

Ashrut Jain, who features as a lawyer alongside Shahid Kapoor in Shree Narayan Singh’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu after Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk, will now reunite with his Sunshine Music Tours and Travels director Shailendra Singh for a film titled A Road Trip To Pakistan. He is currently scripting it and will feature as the lead.

Shailendra, who is on board as a producer, confirmed the news, saying, “Ashrut has done an incredible job in Mulk. I’ve known him since a long time and I’m very fond of him. He narrated his idea and I found it really interesting. The script is registered in Ashrut’s name. We will hire some script doctors to polish it over the next four months before we roll with it.”

Ask him if the film will be shot in Pakistan and he says, “I would love to but given the geo-political situation, it is tricky to go to real locations, unless (Pak Prime Minister) Imran Khan works some magic. Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan which was also an Indo-Pak story was shot in Manali. It is easier to recreate locations in India than to cross the border,” he reasons.

According to Ashrut, the film travels from Delhi to Abbottabad in Pakistan with its male protagonist who goes to the neighbouring country for some work. “There, he meets and falls in love with a local girl and ends up bringing her back home with him. You will get to see an Indian give a fitting reply to Pakistanis in their own country. I love acting but writing enhances my creativity. This is one of the best scripts I’ve written. We are in the process of finalising the director and the female lead,” he concludes.