Manto director Nandita Das takes us into the story of one of South Asia's greatest writers

Originally published on September 10, 2018

A new film is shining a spotlight on one of South Asia's greatest writers. ​Saadat Hasan Manto was born in British India and moved to Pakistan after the partition in 1947 when the two countries separated.

Manto quickly became known for defying conventions in his writing. He was put on trial several times for obscenity, but as he told his critics at the time: "If you cannot bear my stories, it is because we live in unbearable times."

Manto is getting its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. Today, the film's director, and one of India's most acclaimed actors, Nandita Das, joins Tom Power live in the q studio to take us deeper into Manto's story.

— Produced by Ben Edwards