WATCH: Nandita Das’s Short Film Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui Is Breaking The Internet

Reading Saddat Hassan Manto’s short stories as a student was an experience that I will never, ever forget. His words would hit hard and melt in the soul, making us question life and the society we live in. At at time when people would shy away from even the simplest of stuff, he wax eloquent about all things taboo.

In this 6 minute 37 seconds film b ace actor-director Nandita Das, the character of Manto comes alive, his thoughts, his life comes alive. And the person playing his role is none other than one of the finest actors of our time, Nawazuddin Siddiqui. His performance is engaging and beautiful. If we had to imagine how the writer was like, this is our answer. Yes, we have become his fans all over again.

The impactful speech explains the importance of the freedom of speech, the value of writing, and how we should not shy away from writing about something that is happening around us. Prostitutes are a part of our society and talking about them is not a crime. With great dialogue delivery and a brilliant script, this film talks about so much in such a short span of time.

The film is part of India Today’s series, #BigShorts.

Watch the movie above, while you take your coffee break and prepare for some food for thought.