Nawazuddin Siddiqui did film 'Manto' for Re.1, others for free

Ace actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui recently revealed that he charged just Re. 1. for Nandita Das’ upcoming film ‘Manto’. Not only this, celebrities like Rishi Kapoor, Gurdas Maan and Javed Akhtar didn’t charge a single penny.

Nawazuddin plays the character of Saadat Hasan Manto, offered to do the role at a nominal amount, ‘largely for Manto and little bit’ for Nandita.

"Trust me, there is more to life than money! The compensation comes in the form of experience and the joy of working on interesting projects. I, too, have done many such projects and have never looked for 'monetary compensation'," said Nandita.

"This (Manto) is the character that an actor would give an arm and leg for. But to not charge even a nominal fee is very gracious of Nawaz," Nandita said in a statement.

She added, “Rishi Kapoor and Gurdas Maan said yes in our first meeting. I also reached out to many whom I knew well and have used up all my goodwill to get a stellar cast that truly does justice to the characters in the film.

"While many have done cameo roles, they all bring their talent and credibility to the characters."

Other actors like Purab Kohli, Rajshri Deshpande, Ranvir Shorey, Divya Dutta and Swanand Kirkire also did the film free of cost.

Manto is slated to release on  September 21.