Manto Director Nandita Das urges her fans to sign a petition to lift the ban on ‘Manto’ in Pakistan.
Nandita took to twitter sharing the online petition and said, “Overwhelmed by the efforts of the concerned citizens of Pakistan to lift the ban on Manto. Pakistanis defending a film from India shows that we are united in our pursuit of peace, justice and… ”
The petition to lift the ban on Manto has been started by Saeed Ahmed from Pakistan. It received more than 250 supporters in less than 10 hours and more than 300 people have signed the petition.
The page reads an open letter by Saeed Ahmed to Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan. The letter states the ban on Manto by Pakistan Censor Board is a matter of huge concern as it threatens the creative and artistic freedom of expression.
It also questions if new writers are to face the same fate as Manto in new Pakistan. “Saadat Hassan Manto had faced persecution, torture and years of court trials during “Purana Pakistan”. Would the same dreadful fate befall the writers, particularly, ‘Manto’ in “Naya Pakistan”?
The film ‘Manto’ traces the life of the famous writer, Saadat Hasan Manto. The film’s release in India faced a setback when many screenings in major cities were canceled on opening day.
The film stars, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rasika Dugal, Tahir Raj Bhasin in lead roles.
