Cannes, May 17
The Indian film industry has seen many highs as it evolved through the decades since inception, and among the many timeless offerings on celluloid that put it on the global map was Shyam Benegal's 'Manthan'. The film was inspired by the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien, who led 'Operation Flood', transforming India from a milk-deficient country to the world's biggest producer of milk and dairy products.
The visionary social entrepreneur, who turned Gujarat into the global dairy capital, was also the founder of the billion-dollar brand 'Amul'. The film bringing this revolutionary transformation on celluloid features in golden letters on the pages of the history of Indian cinema, which has been around for more than 100 years.
Benegal's classic feature drama, which was crowdfunded by 5 lakh farmers of Gujarat, is all set to make waves globally yet again. The film, featuring the late Smita Patil, Girish Karnad, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Naseeruddin Shah, will be screened at the ongoing 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on Friday.
The 1976 film, restored on 4K, is the only Indian film to be screened under the Cannes Classic section of the festival this year.
Also, significantly, 'Manthan' will have its Cannes premiere just days after Amul celebrated its golden jubilee.
'Manthan' is the third consecutive movie to be restored by the Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation founded by filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, before it heads for Cannes, one of the most prestigious film galas around the world.
The premiere of the restored version of the film at Cannes will be attended by Naseeruddin Shah, the family members of the late Smita Patil, the producers of the film and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of the Film Heritage Foundation.
Elated about the screening, Benegal said, "I was absolutely delighted when Shivendra told me that Film Heritage Foundation was going to restore 'Manthan' in collaboration with the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. 'Manthan' is a film that is very close to my heart as it was funded by 500,000 farmers and was instrumental in the growth of an extraordinary cooperative movement that was aimed at breaking the shackles of economic inequality and caste discrimination whilst empowering the farmers. It will remind the world of the power of cinema as a vehicle of change and also the legacy of the great Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution. Govind Nihalani and I have been following the progress of the restoration closely and I am amazed by the meticulous approach to the restoration. It is wonderful to see the film come back to life almost like we made it yesterday."
"Film Heritage Foundation has been doing remarkable work in film restoration. Not only are they beautifully restoring films from every region of India, but bringing them back to the public at festivals and screenings around the world in a way that showcases our unique film heritage to contemporary global audiences," the acclaimed filmmaker added.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is also excited about the special screening of 'Manthan' at Cannes, as a few days ago, the Big B took to his X handle to post his admiration for the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) for its commitment to preserving India's cinematic history.
https://x.com/SrBachchan/status/1783560087887573102
"So proud that the Film Heritage Foundation will be at the Cannes Film Festival for the third year in a row with another world premiere of a remarkable restoration - Shyam Benegal's film "Manthan" that had compelling performances from an exceptional cast including Smita Patil. Just amazing the work that Film Heritage Foundation does to preserve, restore and showcase the best of India's film heritage to the world," Bachchan posted from his X handle.
Naseeruddin Shah, who will be at Cannes for the premiere, also opened up about his experience working in 'Manthan'.
"I started my career as an actor with 'Nishant' followed by 'Manthan', both directed by Shyam Benegal. "Manthan" was a runaway success when it released almost 50 years ago and it is a film that is remembered even today. I remember that during the shooting of 'Manthan,' I lived in the hut, learnt to make cow dung cakes and milk a buffalo. I would carry the buckets and serve the milk to the unit to get the physicality of the character. I am so glad that Film Heritage Foundation has restored this remarkable film and that this small film made with the support of the farmers has been restored with so much love and care. It is thanks to the persistence, hard work and efforts of Film Heritage Foundation that the film will be premiered in its second life, as it deserves to be, at the Cannes Film Festival and I am so glad that I will be there to present it myself," the veteran screen legend said.
The film, set in Gujarat, was the first Indian film that was entirely crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers, who donated Rs 2 each. Kurien, along with Vijay Tendulkar, penned the script for the movie. 'Manthan' won two National Film Awards in 1977-- for Best Feature Film in Hindi and the Best Screenplay for Tendulkar. It was also India's official entry to the 1976 Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.
On restoring Benegal's classic, Dungarpur, the director of Film Heritage Foundation, said, "I am so delighted that Film Heritage Foundation will have a world premiere of another one of our restorations of an Indian classic at the Cannes Film Festival for the third year in a row after 'Thamp' in 2022 and 'Ishanou' in 2023. The restoration of a Shyam Benegal film has been on Film Heritage Foundation's wish list for years as he is one of India's most venerated filmmakers whose early films were iconic in India's Parallel Cinema movement."
"Manthan is not only one of his finest films from that time, but also the story behind it was so unique - that 500,000 farmers contributed Rs. 2/- towards the making of the film that told the story of the birth of the milk cooperative movement while touching on so many issues like caste, class, gender and economic discrimination. The film was integral to spreading the message of the benefits of the cooperative movement to farmers across the country and a vital part of building the movement and the storied brand. The restoration process has been an incredible experience, especially working so closely with Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani to painstakingly bring the film back to life. Almost half a century later, the power of the narrative and the compelling performances of the actors, especially Smita Patil, remains undiminished. I wish she was here to see the beauty of the restoration," he added.
The 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will open on May 14 and come to a close on May 25.