Manto, the film based on the life of writer Saadat Manto is heading to 71st annual Cannes Film Festival scheduled to be held from 8-19 May. It will be competing in the Un Certain Regard category along with 20 other films. The period drama has been directed by Nandita Das and Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the titular character. Das penned a heartfelt letter on Facebook upon hearing the news. She wrote, "I look forward to seeing how the audience there reacts to this film that I have lived with for almost 7 years. For me, this film and everything else that I do, will always remain a means to trigger conversations, a small step towards 'the world we want to see'."

Speaking about the film, Das had earlier said, "It's not a cradle-to-grave biopic but a drama celebrating the life and work of a writer who was a natural rebel, a man who went against the tide without being a conscious activist.”