In a recent interview of actor-filmmaker Nandita Das, she revealed that celebrities such as Rishi Kapoor, Gurdas Maan, and Javed Akhtar didn't charge a penny to act in her latest movie, Manto.
Reportedly, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays the late Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto in the film, offered to do it just for Re 1.
"This is the character that an actor would give an arm and leg. But to not charge even a nominal fee is very gracious of Nawaz," Nandita said in a statement to a leading news website.
"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," she added.
"While many have done cameo roles, they all bring their talent and credibility to the characters."
Talking about veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar, she said: "I have known Javed Saab even before I did Fire. And I have always felt that he would be perfect in front of the camera.
"I thought it would be quite interesting to have a progressive writer of today defending Manto. You will see him in a new avatar. So not like Javed saab."
"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.
Reportedly, actors Ranvir Shorey, Divya Dutta, Purab Kohli, Rajshri Deshpande and Swanand Kirkire also worked for free for the film.
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