Shyam Benegal’s 1976 feature film “Manthan” has been selected for screening at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, which will be held from May 14, official sources said.
The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) and the producer of the film had joined hands with a not-for-profit organisation --- Film Heritage -- to restore the national award-winning film in 4K, stated an official release here. The film stars Smita Patil, Naseerudin Shah, Girish Karnad, and Amrish Puri.
Manthan is inspired by Dr Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution, and marks the inception of an extraordinary dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient nation to the world’s largest milk producer. “Manthan made people believe that cattle rearing and milk production can be a sustainable and prosperous means of livelihood. India became the largest milk producer in 1998 and has retained the position since,” Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of GCMMF, stated.
Made with a budget of ₹10 lakh, this is a crowd-funded film. Five lakh GCMMF farmers had contributed Rs 2 each to fund the cost of film production. The film won two national awards in 1977 and was also India’s submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1976.