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Mantostaan
Critic reviews and ratings
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...seems like the first draft of a potentially unputdownable book. A slightly more experienced filmmaker would have done wonders with it. But in this state, it’s like a decent read with a great epilogue.
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The effort of actor-writer-director Rahat Kazmi is, therefore, irrefutably pertinent and praiseworthy. The result, alas, is uneven. Mantostaan is devoid of the gut-wrenching punch that Manto's seething pen could deliver at will.
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...the film fails in translation: it is a forced construct, and comes off flat and stagey, both in treatment and performance.
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Lack of research, exaggerated violence and a forced attempt at stitching the short stories together makes this an exhausting watch.
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The acting is largely amateurish, the scenes are poorly paced and directed, and the production is far too tacky for the big screen.
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The bizarre splicing together of four stories makes no sense whatsoever. Just because the filmmakers chose to ride on the shoulder of a literary giant does not make the film worthy.
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Manto would be better read than seen in Mantostaan.
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...is a pointless blunder as a film. What a pitiful, terrible waste of a cult literature.
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Manto’s writings are as relevant to our troubled times as they were when he lived. Their enduring meaning and beauty are completely lost though in this poor production.