The Crossbill Team
Acclaimed movie director Shyam Benegal's "Manthan" (The Churning), the country's first crowd-funded film, is receiving a red-carpet world premiere this week at the Cannes Film Festival, alongside classics from Jean-Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa and Wim Wenders.
Restored version of Benegal's 1976 masterpiece was financed by 5 lakh farmers of Gujarat. Inspired by the groundbreaking milk cooperative movement by Dr Verghese Kurien that transformed India into one of the largest milk producers in the world, the movie was showcased under the Cannes Classics segment on Friday.
Under the cooperative model, small farmers would bring and sell milk in the mornings and evenings to a network of collection centres in Gujarat. The milk was then transported to dairies for processing into butter and other products.
In the film, a city-bred government veterinary doctor and his team arrive in a deeply divided village in Gujarat with plans to start a dairy cooperative. As he starts his work, the vet is caught in the tumultuous politics of change and faces challenges from a private dairy owner, the village head and a volatile local milkman.
The movie featured Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Smita Patil, and Amrish Puri was premiered at a prestigious gala held at Salle Bunuel. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah walked the red carpet at Cannes along with wife Ratna Pathak Shah, late co-star Smita Patil's son Prateik Babbar, Dr Kurien's daughter Nirmala Kurien, and Amul MD Jayen Mehta.
Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak during Manthan screening. Photo Courtesy: X
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder of Film Heritage Foundation, the not-for-profit organisation behind the restored print, also attended the film's screening.
Vijay Tendulkar, a prominent Indian playwright, contributed multiple scripts, with Benegal selecting one for the film. Renowned composer Vanraj Bhatia scored the music of the film.
Kurien released the film initially in Gujarat to a rousing reception. More copies of this film were produced than any other in India, spanning formats from 35mm to 8mm, Super 8, and later, video cassettes. Manthan was widely shown around the world, including at the UN General Assembly, and won a National Award at home.
Restored version of Benegal's 1976 masterpiece was financed by 5 lakh farmers of Gujarat. Inspired by the groundbreaking milk cooperative movement by Dr Verghese Kurien that transformed India into one of the largest milk producers in the world, the movie was showcased under the Cannes Classics segment on Friday.
Under the cooperative model, small farmers would bring and sell milk in the mornings and evenings to a network of collection centres in Gujarat. The milk was then transported to dairies for processing into butter and other products.
In the film, a city-bred government veterinary doctor and his team arrive in a deeply divided village in Gujarat with plans to start a dairy cooperative. As he starts his work, the vet is caught in the tumultuous politics of change and faces challenges from a private dairy owner, the village head and a volatile local milkman.
The movie featured Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Smita Patil, and Amrish Puri was premiered at a prestigious gala held at Salle Bunuel. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah walked the red carpet at Cannes along with wife Ratna Pathak Shah, late co-star Smita Patil's son Prateik Babbar, Dr Kurien's daughter Nirmala Kurien, and Amul MD Jayen Mehta.
Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak during Manthan screening. Photo Courtesy: X
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder of Film Heritage Foundation, the not-for-profit organisation behind the restored print, also attended the film's screening.
Vijay Tendulkar, a prominent Indian playwright, contributed multiple scripts, with Benegal selecting one for the film. Renowned composer Vanraj Bhatia scored the music of the film.
Kurien released the film initially in Gujarat to a rousing reception. More copies of this film were produced than any other in India, spanning formats from 35mm to 8mm, Super 8, and later, video cassettes. Manthan was widely shown around the world, including at the UN General Assembly, and won a National Award at home.
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