Nawaz Versus Rajkummar Rao: Nandita Das takes Over Manto’s Bio-Pic!

What Happens To Hansal Mehta’s Bio-Pic?

Urdu poets never had it so good. Even while producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali is producing a bio-pic on Sahir Ludhianvi, Nandita Das has announced a bio-pic on Sadat Hassan Manto, the Pakistani short-story writer of the 1940s, considered among the finest litterateurs from the pre-partition era.

Interestingly Hansal Mehta was all set to do a bio-pic on  Manto with Rajkummar Rao in the lead. The scripting had almost been completed. But it seems Mehta has decided to opt out for the sake of avoiding a  clash of interests with Nandita’s film .

Says Hansal, “I am not doing the Manto film right now. My hands are full.I am very happy that Nandita is making the film.”

Interestingly Nawaz who is now playing  Nandita’s Manto was Hansal’s first choice for the gay professor’s role in Aligarh.