A Review of the Movie 'Manto' and the Indo-Pakistan Partition

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of the movie "Manto," examining its portrayal of the Indo-Pakistan partition and its impact on the lives of common people. The analysis is framed within the historical context of the partition, highlighting the suffering and displacement experienced by Hindus and Muslims. The essay is divided into two parts: Bombay 1946, which showcases the harmonious coexistence of Hindus and Muslims, and Lahore 1948, which depicts the changes in Manto's life due to the partition. The essay discusses the impact of the partition on Manto's personal life, his changed views on his work and friendships. The essay concludes by emphasizing the significance of the partition period in shaping the history of India and Pakistan, and the lasting effects of the migration and suffering it caused.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE MANTO
Analysis of the movie “Manto”
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Author’s Note:

1ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE “MANTO”
As opined by Butalia (2015), the years 1945-1950 had been one of the most important
periods in the national histories of the nations of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh not only
because of the fact that India and Pakistan received freedom from the colonial yoke but also
because of the largescale movement of the Hindus and the Muslims. Gould and Legg (2019)
are of the viewpoint that this largescale movement of the people had not only affected the
personal lives of these people but at the same time shaped the national identities of these
nations as well. The movie “Manto” is an important one because of the manner in which it
represents the toll taken by partition on the lives of the common people through the specific
lens of the life of author Manto. This paper will undertake a review of the movie “Manto” in
the particular context of the historical backdrop of the Indo-Pakistan partition and the manner
in which it shaped the concerned nations.
The movie “Manto” (2018), directed by Nandita Das and featuring Nawazuddin
Siddiqui, dwells on the theme of Indo-Pakistan partition and the manner in which it affected
the lives of the common people of the both the nation (IMDb 2019). In this regard, it needs to
be said that the movie under discussion here can be segregated into two sections, namely,
Bombay 1946 and Lahore, 1948 (Hindustantimes.com 2019). For example, the first phase of
the movie through the character of Manto, an author highlights the congenial manner in
which the Hindus and Muslims lived in the colonial British India. In this phase of the movie,
Manto is being shown to have various problems but none of them are related to communal
problems that he was to face in the later part of the movie and as a matter of fact he has
friendly relations with Shyam Chadda, Ashok Kumar and others (IMDb 2019). Furthermore,
as troubles begin to start between the Hindus and Muslims, many of his Muslim friends begin
to leave for Pakistan however he stays back stating that he feels more at home in India
wherein he had spent the major part of his life and he does not ardently believes in following
all the Islamic practices.

2ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE “MANTO”
In the second part of the movie, Manto is being shown living in a refugee camp along
with the other Muslims and his feelings towards his work and also friends have changed in a
significant manner (Hindustantimes.com 2019). For example, because of the troubles he had
faced on the score of the partition he had come to repudiate the time that he had spent in India
and also the friendship that he had inculcated with the Indians. Furthermore, he had
developed a distaste for literary works and resorts to heavy drinking and this in turn starts to
take a toll on his marital life as well (IMDb 2019). The changes undergone by Manto is
symbolical because of the fact that the problems which the movie shows Manto suffering
from were faced by almost all the Hindus and Muslims during the time of partition. The net
result of this was that many people just like Manto not only lost the homes wherein they had
been raised and their friends but also started to feel detached from the things that they had
been passionate about once. This in turn contributed in a significant manner to not only shape
the lives of the common people but also the history of the concerned nations as well.
To conclude, the Indo-Pakistan partition period was not only an important period
which significant shaped the history of the nations of India and Pakistan. The migration from
India to Pakistan and vice versa undertaken by the people and the suffering or pain which it
entailed left a deep mark on the lives of the people and also on the concerned nations. These
aspects of the Indo-Pakistan partition period become apparent from the above analysis of the
movie “Manto”.

3ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE “MANTO”
References
Butalia, U. ed., 2015. Partition: the long shadow. Penguin UK.
Gould, W. and Legg, S., 2019. Spaces before Partition: An Introduction. South Asia: Journal
of South Asian Studies, pp.1-11.
Hindustantimes.com 2019. Manto movie review: Nawazuddin Siddiqui pours out a glassful
of Manto. [online] Available at: https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/manto-movie-
review-nawazuddin-siddiqui-shines-as-the-legendary-saadat-hasan-manto/story-
90rKvQQUGnr4u9DwQV6l0K.html [Accessed 11 Apr. 2019].
IMDb 2019. Manto (2018) - IMDb. [online] Available at:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6923462/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2019].