Hathak’ or ‘The Insult’ is a story about the life of a prostitute during the last phase of India’s struggle for Independence and in the first decade of Independent India. In this feminist story, Manto paints the life of Sughandhi, who is too sentimental to be a perfect prostitute. She works as hard as possible for her living and is in good books with her pimp Ram Laal. She is generally a person who is calm and gentle but tends to get too attached to the men who are her regular customers. She is unable to refuse anyone who verbally offers her love which is missing in her life as she works in Mumbai as a prostitute. The highlight of this story is when Sugandhi breaks her ties with her male lovers, realizing the shame behind their declarations of love for her. She realizes that along with the police sergeant Madhu, every man she has ever known has always made use of her good nature and loving heart. Therefore, she decides to literally and metaphorically ‘throw them out’ of her life. Indeed, this story brings out the humanity of Mumbai’s prostitutes of the 1940s and 1950s, to whom Manto dedicated most of his short stories.
Premier: May 2023
Written By: Sadat Hassan Manto
Directed By: Aamir Nawaz
