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Censorship anywhere is dangerous: Nandita Das addresses Pakistan's ban on Manto

Censorship anywhere is dangerous: Nandita Das addresses Pakistan's ban on Manto

She says it's unfair of Pakistani censor board to call Manto "anti-Partition" and "against norms of Pakistani society"
16 Dec, 2018

To divide Saadat Hasan Manto, the celebrated Urdu writer, along the lines of nationality would be the ultimate irony.

He took the Partition so much to heart that it broke him. So I was very keen for the film to be released simultaneously in India and Pakistan. He equally belonged to both countries and that is why I wanted the film to be released in them simultaneously.

I was fully aware of the fragile nature of the relationship between the two countries and the frequent banning of cross-border movement of art and artists. But we did manage to get one of the best distributors on board due to the popularity of Hindi films there and the buzz Manto had generated. After much back and forth with them over the past few months, I just got the news that Manto was not passed by their Censor Board. The reasons cited are that “the film has anti-Partition narrative theme and explicit scenes, which is against the norms of Pakistani society”.

Censorship is not unknown to us in India. I personally have had to face similar committees for Firaaq and Manto. In both instances, after several hours of negotiations, I managed to limit the cuts to only a few audio ones.

In any case, the whole process of censorship is so subjective and arbitrary that one can only hope to reason it out. Unfortunately, this time around, I won’t get the opportunity to present my case to the Pakistani Censor Board. In the last six years that I have been working on Manto, not only his family but many others in Pakistan have been waiting anxiously to see it on the big screen. So while this explanation is in defence of freedom, it is also for them.

Also read: As a film on his life screens in cinemas, Manto's daughters discover his beloved Mumbai

To call a film “anti-Partition” is actually a startling way to criticise it. With two million dead and 14 million displaced – the largest mass migration in the world to date – Partition has made an indelible mark on our shared history. But the trauma of Partition is more complex there than in India. I was sensitised to this during my first visit to Pakistan in 1996. As an Indian, I did not understand that for them, the pain of Partition violence and the joy of the birth of a new nation are deeply intertwined. Their very existence is linked to it. Yet, the reality of the violence cannot be ignored.

From the feedback the film has received, it is clear that most have looked beyond the nationalistic narrative. Instead they have deeply empathised with Manto, who had internalised the pain felt by millions on both sides of the border. This was best expressed in Manto’s story, Toba Tek Singh, which reminds us of the absurdity of the mindless violence in ways that history and statistics do not.

Screengrab from 'Manto.
Screengrab from 'Manto.

Manto showed us what we, as human beings, are capable of doing. He always believed that the best of us have shadows and the worst can be redeemed. And it is this grey area that the film attempts to explore. Even Manto has not been spared and I feel he would have liked it no other way. To reduce a deeply human story to labels is to misrepresent and misunderstand it.

The other issue raised by the Censor Board is “explicit scenes”. Not sure what they are referring to, as there is no nudity in the film at all. In fact, it got a U/A certificate in India. Manto’s works were similarly labelled and they faced much neglect and years of obscenity trials. He was finally embraced in Pakistan in his centenary year in 2012 and posthumously conferred the highest civilian award, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz. How can such honour be bestowed upon him when his work is still being considered inappropriate? Ironically, some critics seemy interpretation of his stories as being “too sanitised”, so I was really surprised by this reasoning.

Also read: How my brush with the Pakistani censor board opened my eyes to its warped system

There will be some who will take these thoughts and use them to polarise us further and turn this into an India-versus-Pakistan issue. Even in India, not surprisingly, the state-run International Film Festival of India did not select Manto despite it being officially selected by prestigious film festivals like Cannes and Toronto. One of the IFFI jurors offered baffling reasons like, “The film was not understood by South Indians…neither is it dramatic nor is not non-dramatic!” Perhaps they were straining to justify a decision already made.

So I refuse to be drawn into the binary of “them” and “us”. If at all it exists, then the “them”are the authorities that are trying to silence “us”, the people. I have been part of many Indo-Pak, people-to-people initiatives where on both sides of the border, we are united in our pursuit of peace.

However, peace cannot be achieved without justice and freedom. Without a trace of doubt, censorship anywhere, and in all forms, is dangerous as it silences voices that need to be heard. Manto had to fight for his freedom of expression 70 years ago and many of us are having to do the same today. The silver lining is that the internet subverts archaic censorship for better and worse. Yet it is only through freedom of expression that we grow as people, as a society.

So I am delighted that Manto is now available on Netflix. While not a perfect solution, as it remains a platform for the privileged, at least in our part of the world, it is one step closer to freer expression.


This article originally appeared at Scroll.in and has been reproduced with permission.

Comments

Naqad Dec 16, 2018 03:15pm
A clever attempt to attack two nation theory using Manto!
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MBA Dec 16, 2018 03:25pm
And how many times you can turn your head / Pretending you just doesn't see? The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in wind. Censorship is no match for someone like Manto. He lived and died with all sort of censorships but his voice came through anyway.
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Fastrack Dec 16, 2018 03:32pm
We cherish and value our independence/ partition greatly. Try saying a word about Holocaust in the West.
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Waheed Uz Zaman Tariq Dec 16, 2018 03:35pm
Every country has its basis and foundations which are not to be challenged.
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R Sultan Dec 16, 2018 03:39pm
Change the arcane antediluvian censor board. Appoint people of knowledge and wisdom with interest in the arts, culture, unbiased history having a scientific outlook. I could name a few suitable candidates who are free thinkers.
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Prateik Dec 16, 2018 03:57pm
People will find ways to bypass ban anyways.
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Junaid Ali Dec 16, 2018 04:19pm
You should refrain from commenting about our Internal affairs we can do whatever we think is right it’s got nothing to do with you. no Indian will want to watch a Anti Indian movie right remember the outrage against Priyanka Chopra recently
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Imad khan Dec 16, 2018 04:43pm
Please allow Pakistani movies in India. Only then can u talk.
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Adil Dec 16, 2018 05:18pm
@Naqad “Using Manto” - The film is based on facts - his life as described by his family and his books. Don’t pass random absurd judgement before watching the film.
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RationalBabu Dec 16, 2018 05:25pm
@Naqad : Seriously? Read the article again!
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Qaim zaidi Dec 16, 2018 05:53pm
@MBA a great comment , censorship should never be accepted.
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Yousaf Dec 16, 2018 06:34pm
None of our movie has been watched in Indian cinemas EVEN many without politics and such things. Why would Pakistan bother to show Indian movies which contains anti-Pakistani material or anything like that. India censored our whole movie industry in their country and we can't even ban a single movie WHAT A JOKE.
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Pervez Dec 16, 2018 07:12pm
I have seen the movie on You Tube, movie is fantastic with Oscar deserving performance by Nawazuddin Siddiqi.
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Shahzeb Dec 16, 2018 07:20pm
Pakistani Films, Drama, Actors, Singers, Poet etc. all banned in India. Did you ever raised that censorship shout in India ever Mr. Nandita Das ?
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Bakht Dec 16, 2018 08:34pm
Watch it on Netflix.
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Dhruv Ghosh Dec 16, 2018 08:42pm
@Shahzeb: Ms, its Ms Nandita Das!! Shows how well informed you are
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Harry Jam Dec 16, 2018 10:12pm
@Dhruv Ghosh It's a typo jack.
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MH Dec 16, 2018 10:35pm
It takes a different mindset to understand Manto. He faced that 70 years ago I i think that is still the case today
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mohsin Dec 17, 2018 01:32am
Madam, while your heart is in the right place, its politics and point scoring that takes precedence over any type of art that may seek to transcend the border to unite our two peoples together. That train of unity left a long time ago.
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Habib A Zuberi Dec 17, 2018 05:22am
Mento was widely read by us at Aligarh Muslim University where I was a studen from 1945-47...High School 1947-53, MA and Urdu was not one my subjects as an undergraduate and MA in Economics. He was indeed one of the greatest story writer in British India.He portrait the horrible atrocities committed by all communities in South Asia at that. Let every one see what happened. Some language may be removed, but the story should not be changed.
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Habib A Zuberi Dec 17, 2018 06:30am
@R Sultan Very well stated.
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Habib A Zuberi Dec 17, 2018 06:33am
@Yousaf This sounds like a joke.
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Habib A Zuberi Dec 17, 2018 06:34am
@Pervez Good and a sensible response.
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Shamin Dec 17, 2018 07:08am
Manto had fair skin, not dark as shown in the film!
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ankit Dec 17, 2018 08:24am
Well, Pakistan cries human rights all the time, but ask them about human lives costs due to Partition and subsequently in Bangladesh (East Pakistan), suddenly it becomes "Anti Pakistan"
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Mk Dec 17, 2018 08:34am
I don’t see a reason to ban this film, just watch this movie putting ur self in Montos shoes. It’s nothing about India or Pakistan, or Hindu or Muslim. It’s about a soul who suffered from partition.
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AJK Dec 17, 2018 09:07am
I have seen both manto's, Pakistani manto on Youtube & Indian version on Netflix. Looking at the comments below, i couldn't understand what was anybody thinking during watching this biography. I felt, that this story is HIS. Why should we have different geographical narratives, to "explain" a person. India & Pakistan are facts, which can't be removed from the map by banning or screening a film. What i am interested in, is the values which is upheld by Manto. He's a human being like us, has a Jeckyl & Dr. Hyde side to him. I feel connected to him. I feel respect for his courage, honesty & stand against oppression. The way he tore down the conventional "love story" writer syndrome to develop a Realistic, painful, exuberant and multi colored stories, is just phenomenal
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Ahsan Dec 17, 2018 09:16am
Well said. I wish we had more people like Ms Nandita Das here in Pakistan. Cheers to free expression and peace among neighbours!
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John the Lahori Dec 17, 2018 10:06am
Excellent film! Why are so worried about history? Just show it, it is all about Manto there is 1% about politics and actually it really strengthen the creation of Pakistan as a state. Manto the genius.
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M. Saeed Dec 17, 2018 10:54am
If the objectionable scenes or audio were factual and historic realities, the Film should have been cleared by the Censor Board. After all, Manto opted for Pakistan and died in Pakistan.
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Alok Dec 17, 2018 10:58am
@Yousaf Pakistani movies are not banned in India but Pakistan produces very few movies compared to India and budget is usually low . I remember some movies , probably 'Bin Roye' released in Delhi when I lived there few years back.
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Narinder Dogra Dec 17, 2018 11:23am
@Yousaf I have seen a Pakistani movie in India (Jullundur), at a cinema theater in early fifties.
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Zain Dec 17, 2018 02:39pm
@Shamin You need specs. Go see Manto pics again.
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Speak_Truth Dec 17, 2018 08:43pm
First start screening Pakistani films in India and then talk.
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riz1 Dec 18, 2018 01:25am
@Speak_Truth "First start screening Pakistani films in India and then talk." We should first learn to make quality movies. Unfortunately lasti heard, we were stuck in making a remake of a "cult classic rural favorite" that celebrates honor killings, vengeance, limitless violence, women disempowerment etc. Would any non-Pakistani consider that entertainment?
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gp65 Dec 18, 2018 04:53am
@Yousaf "None of our movie has been watched in Indian cinemas EVEN many without politics and such things" @Shahzeb "Pakistani Films, Drama, Actors, Singers, Poet etc. all banned in India" None of your movies have been banned by the Indian censor board. It is the job of the Pakistani producer to get the movie reviewed by Indian censor board and to find distributors. Movies like Bol and Khuda Ke Liye were released in India. Pakistani singers like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Atif Aslam continue to sing i Bollywood movies. @Naqad "A clever attempt to attack two nation theory using Manto!" No one is trying to undo partition. However just as partition led to birth of Pakistan, it also led to a lot of people being killed and many millions migrating - some unwilling and some forced migration. @Shamin "Manto had fair skin, not dark as shown in the film!" Seriously? So if they had used a fair actor like Hrithik Roshan than a dark one like Nawazuddin Siddiqui you would have been happy?
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N abidai Dec 20, 2018 07:55am
Was manto Pakistani poet,so, that should help release his film in Pakistan!
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