Actor-director
Nandita
Das
recently
said
that
the
aim
of
mainstream
films
is
to
entertain
people,
but,
for
her,
engaging
the
audience
is
more
important.
The
48-year-old
filmmaker,
however,
said
she
is
not
party
to
the
idea
of
using
the
medium
of
cinema
to
"preach" and
bore
the
masses.
"The
main
aim
of
the
mainstream
Bollywood
films
is
entertainment
and
it
is
good,
but
for
me
it
is
about
engaging
the
audience
and
not
just
entertaining.
It
is
not
necessary
that
I
will
get
entertained
with
what
other
people
might
find
entertaining.
I
like
a
story
that
is
engaging
irrespective
of
the
genre.
"People
get
involved
with
the
story...
We
laugh,
cry
as
we
have
taken
to
it
to
the
make-believe
world.
Cinema
is
a
part
of
arts.
There
is
magic
in
it
and
it
happens
sometimes
and
it
doesnt
happen
sometimes.
I
would
never
listen
to
anything
that
is
preachy
and
boring,"
she
said.
Nandita,
who
has
earlier
worked
with
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui
in
Firaaq,
has
teamed
up
with
him
for
her
second
directorial
venture
Manto.
The
film
is
a
biopic
on
the
celebrated
Urdu
short
story
writer
Saadat
Hasan
Manto.
"When
I
was
writing
this
film,
I
was
thinking
only
about
him.
There
is
something
in
Nawazs
eyes
that
I
felt
he
was
apt
for
this
role.
Every
actor
brings
something
of
his
or
her
own
to
the
table
while
portraying
a
character
and
it
would
have
been
fantastic
in
different
ways.
I
think
Nawaz
had
that
Manto-ness
thing
in
him.
"Manto
had
seen
lot
of
things
early
in
his
life
and
even
Nawaz
had
also
struggled
a
lot
in
life.
Today,
he
is
a
star.
When
you
make
a
biopic
on
a
person
you
try
to
get
the
look
and
mannerisms
right,
but
that
is
not
all.
Getting
the
essence
of
the
story
right
is
important,"
she
added.
Before
she
chose
to
make
a
film
on
the
life
story
of
Manto,
Nandita
was
aware
of
his
work
and
felt
it
was
a
story
that
needs
to
be
told
on
the
big
screen.
"The
intention
was
to
bring
out
the
courage
of
speaking
the
truth,
a
sense
of
conviction.
He
was
just
a
person
who
wanted
to
do
things
that
he
believed
in.
All
of
us,
in
small
or
big
ways,
want
to
do
things
that
we
like.
So
I
chose
Manto...
We
are
not
trying
to
put
him
on
a
pedestal.
Manto
was
deeply
sensitive,
gentle
and
at
the
same
time,
arrogant
and
had
a
lot
of
anger
in
him.
"I
think
we
all
have
that
Manto
thing
in
all
of
us.
Today,
there
is
a
debate
or
fight
in
the
name
of
religion,
identity
or
nationality.
But
he
had
challenged
the
identities
and
went
beyond
religion
and
nationalities
in
his
life,"
she
said.
PTI