Actor-filmmaker Nandita Das’ sophomore film Manto will be competing in the "Un Certain Regard" category of the 71st Cannes Film Festival. Manto is the only Indian film competing at the Cannes festival this year. The official line-up was announced by the festival's artistic director Thierry Fremaux in Paris on Thursday, Apr. 12. The festival is being held this year from May 8-19.
"Manto" is a biographical on controversial Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto, who is known for his writings around the partition of India and Pakistan. Nandita Das who is excited about the official selection of the film had tweeted,
We are in Cannes!! #Manto is selected in the official section- Un Certain Regards. Exciting moment for the entire crew & cast. @Viacom18Movies @HP @ajlucio5 @vikbatra @mantagoyal @Nawazuddin_S @RasikaDugal @chintskap @SirPareshRawal @tahirbhasinfc @Javedakhtarjadu @gurdasmaan https://t.co/Rfva438Kpc
— Nandita Das (@nanditadas) April 12, 2018
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who played the titular role of Manto in the film, took to his Twitter page to share the news. He wrote:
“And it is possible that Saadat Hasan dies, but MANTO remains alive”.
— Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) April 12, 2018
Glad to inform that ‘MANTO’ is selected for competition at #Cannes2018 in #UnCertainRegard section.
Congratulations @nanditadas and Team #Manto pic.twitter.com/LBKcSVb1vb
Actress Rasika Dugal, who essays Safia Manto, told IANS: "It will be such an honor to present our film there. In the times we live in, a film which strongly defends freedom of speech should reach a wide audience not just in our country but across the world. Manto was about fearlessness. Of fearlessness with sensitivity. And that is something to nurture and celebrate,"
The Un Certain Regard is a competition section separate from the Cannes fest's main Palme d'Or competition section. Un Certain Regard literally translates as "a certain glance". The section celebrates works with original vision and style and non-traditional story-telling.