Thanda Gosht : Storyline, Adaptations Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanda Gosht

Fiction short story by Saadat Hasan Manto, published in 1950.

"Thanda Gosht"
Short story by Saadat Hasan Manto
Language	Urdu
Genre(s)	fiction
Publication
Published in	1950
Publisher	Sang-e-Meel Publications
Media type	Short story

Thanda Gosht (Urdu: ٹھنڈا گوشت ALA-LC: Ṭhanḍā Gos̱ẖt IPA: [ʈʰənɖɑː ɡoːʃt̪], English: Cold Flesh) is a short story written by Saadat Hasan Manto.^[1] The book was first published in a literary magazine in March 1950 in Pakistan. Later it was published by Sang-e-Meel Publications. Manto was charged with obscenity for this story and faced a trial in criminal court.

Storyline

The story is about the communal violence of 1947.^[2] Ishwar Singh, fails to make love to his mistress Kalwant. She suspects him of infidelity and in a fit of jealousy stabs him with his own dagger. While dying, Ishwar Singh admits his crime getting involved in riots which broke in his village, killing a Muslim family with the same dagger and abducting a Muslim girl after breaking in their house and attempting to rape her, who was actually dead. Hence the title "cold flesh".^[3]

Adaptations

Mantostaan, a 2017 Indian film which adapted four short stories of Manto for the screen also included a segment based on "Thanda Ghosht". Other stories which were adapted included "Khol Do", "Assignment", and "Akhiri Salute".^[4] Manto, a 2018 Indian biographical drama film about Saadat Hasan Manto's later life includes an adaptation of Thanda Gosht and the long-drawn court trials on obscenity which followed, their severe toll on his health and finances and his eventual conviction.^[5]

References

^ "HE WROTE WHAT HE SAW – AND TOOK NO SIDES". Dawn (newspaper). 10 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
^ "Manto's two set of stories about the Partition". Urdu Academy of North America website. 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
^ Sethi, Ali (30 August 2012). "The Seer of Pakistan". The New Yorker (magazine). Retrieved 3 June 2021.
^ Nihit Bhave. "Review of the movie Mantostaan by Times of India". Times of India (newspaper). Retrieved 3 June 2021.
^ Coutinho, Natasha (1 June 2017). "Nandita Das ropes in Divya Dutta, Ranvir Shorey and Purab Kohli for her Manto biopic". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 3 May 2021.