I am beyond overwhelmed by the response that has been pouring in. It is much more than what I had imagined. From young 18-year olds to those in their 90s. From far off cities like Patna and Kochi to those in Delhi and Mumbai, it is touching people deeply. Mantoiyat is spreading far and…no, not wide enough. Films like Manto are constrained by the presumptions of those who are responsible for marketing and distributing films. There is a clear dissonance between what is seen as 'creative' vs. 'business' in terms of the spending on publicity and advertising and on the number of screens and the show times. While this tussle between a director's passion for a film and the reality of business is eternal, it is perhaps worth a debate in today's world.

Manto, is perhaps a good example of how in-built biases in the distribution system might affect the potential of a film that is not classified as a "Bollywood" film. These are the ones that get labelled as niche films. This has big consequences. This impacts the number of screens – a mid-sized release for 'Bollywood' is about 2000 screens while Manto released in less than 500. The basis of this decision is old-style 'focus group' analyses that more often than not merely reinforce the bias of the marketing and distribution team. We live in a world that is awash with data, so my assertion is not merely as Manto's film-maker, but also as a viewer of good cinema.