The story takes place just before the India-Pakistan partition in one of the oldest mental asylums in undivided India. Situated in Lahore, it was home to Hindu, Muslim and Sikh patients who were left behind by their uncaring families. Friendships were thick between the patients who had nobody but each other for company. Each had a story that made for an interesting tale but none quite like Bishan Singh.
Based on the four most controversial short stories of the legendary Urdu writer Saadat Hassan Manto, Mantostaan sheds light on the inhumane side of mankind. Set during the Indo-Pakistan partition in 1947, the movie highlights the retributive genocide between the religions, killing as many as 20,00,000 people and displacing over 14 million people.
Sultana, a small town prostitute and her pimp Khudabaksh migrate to the metropolis, bringing with them their dreams and meagre belongings. Sultana goes about her bright and artful seductions but somehow misses her targets. Her business collapses. Desperately, Khudabaksh too tries his hand at many jobs but is unsuccessful. Sultana's loneliness and despair get objectified in her desire for a 'salwaar' that she needs to complete her black ensemble for the observance of mourning for Moharram.
This is an adaptation from the short story of Saadat Hasan Manto with the title, "Jhumke". A wife is accused of adultery and her husband leaves her along with her daughter. The husband works hard to send his daughter to the college. On the other side, his wife sold herself to prostitution. The story is related to ear pendants which cause the wife to sell her body to the house owner. The ear pendants now gifted to her daughter by a college fellow who fell in love with her. Now the father is also suspicious about her daughter. As it is a Pakistani movie, they have change characters name to Muslims name.
This movie depicts the life of once wealthy poet and nobleman Mirza Ghalib. This story portrays his trials, tribulations, triumphs, and ultimate descent to poverty, and then to prison; and his tragic and ill-fated love with a beautiful courtesan named Chaudvin.
