Goosebumps : Check
+ve:
Casting was great, Except Saba Qamar appeared too jolly for the role of Noor Jehan. She looked great on screen though and had that unmistakable and overwhelming 'presence' of a main heroine that I find missing in most of the heroines in Pakistani movies. Every other character fit in his role like he was meant for it. The performances were amazing. Sarmad sultan pulled his weight as 'manto'. Apart from his acting, it was his amazing direction that made the film stand out. The actors in their small roles did complete justice with the screen time they were given. All of them breathed life into their characters (well almost all except the customary clueless looking doctor like the ones we see in drama) The dialogues were spine chilling. The short stories were filmed beautifully. The messages were kept subtle for the general audience yet they were crisp and unmistakable for the eyes of a keen observer. I was not expecting it. I was expecting far , far less after having watched so many Pakistani movies in succession. You have to praise them thinking they are 'your own'. That they are good efforts, that they are a step towards better movies. But the deal with Manto is that it was not just a good try. It succeeded brilliantly. In fact for a biopic, a movie couldn't be better.
-ve:
The nephew of Safia, manto's wife, did not dress right. He looked like a Pakistani guy from 2015 who was somehow thrown back into old time and patched with some old characters with old mannerisms and style. I think a movie in which every little detail was paid attention to, his dressing shouldn't have been overlooked.
+ve:
Casting was great, Except Saba Qamar appeared too jolly for the role of Noor Jehan. She looked great on screen though and had that unmistakable and overwhelming 'presence' of a main heroine that I find missing in most of the heroines in Pakistani movies. Every other character fit in his role like he was meant for it. The performances were amazing. Sarmad sultan pulled his weight as 'manto'. Apart from his acting, it was his amazing direction that made the film stand out. The actors in their small roles did complete justice with the screen time they were given. All of them breathed life into their characters (well almost all except the customary clueless looking doctor like the ones we see in drama) The dialogues were spine chilling. The short stories were filmed beautifully. The messages were kept subtle for the general audience yet they were crisp and unmistakable for the eyes of a keen observer. I was not expecting it. I was expecting far , far less after having watched so many Pakistani movies in succession. You have to praise them thinking they are 'your own'. That they are good efforts, that they are a step towards better movies. But the deal with Manto is that it was not just a good try. It succeeded brilliantly. In fact for a biopic, a movie couldn't be better.
-ve:
The nephew of Safia, manto's wife, did not dress right. He looked like a Pakistani guy from 2015 who was somehow thrown back into old time and patched with some old characters with old mannerisms and style. I think a movie in which every little detail was paid attention to, his dressing shouldn't have been overlooked.
It was not entirely historically accurate.
But an awesome movie with little flaws is not a bad bargain, in my opinion.
Conclusion:
My mind was constantly stimulated throughout the two hours spent watching the movie. Not at a single point did my attention waver. It was thought provoking and gripping. It deserved an applause and it got an applause. This might be a hot cake in literary circles. For me. Manto was not a movie I liked for being a Pakistani movie. I liked Manto because it spoke to me, I liked it because it struck a chord with me. I did not have to bank on the 'soft corner' to love this movie . Manto is hands down one of the best biopics I have watched.
My mind was constantly stimulated throughout the two hours spent watching the movie. Not at a single point did my attention waver. It was thought provoking and gripping. It deserved an applause and it got an applause. This might be a hot cake in literary circles. For me. Manto was not a movie I liked for being a Pakistani movie. I liked Manto because it spoke to me, I liked it because it struck a chord with me. I did not have to bank on the 'soft corner' to love this movie . Manto is hands down one of the best biopics I have watched.
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