Naseeruddin Shah at Cannes for 'Manthan' screening, says 'never realised the importance of the film’ during shooting days

He had hoped 'Manthan' would transform his luck, yet it never crossed his mind that it would endure and prove timeless.

Bollywood’s most revered actor, Naseeruddin Shah was ravenous for a role in a film during his early days in his acting career. All he wanted to do was put himself out there and let the world see him. He was hungry for employment even while his first film ‘Nishant’ also with the legendary ’Manthan’ director, Shyam Benegal, did well at the box office. While the rest of the ‘Nishant’ cast were reaching stardom and getting lead roles, Naseeruddin was left ‘twiddling his thumbs’ wondering what went wrong with his performance.

Even the handful amount of good reviews that came his way didn’t seem to do much. Shah was very proud however of what he was able to accomplish in ‘Nishant’ and so when Shyam Benegal came back to Naseeruddin offering him a role on a new project of his, he jumped on his back with no hesitation. “I don’t care, 2 rupiye diya, kisne diya I don’t care, even if I’m not getting a penny for this film it doesn’t matter, ” remarked the actor.

Shah in an interview with Film Companion at the 77th Cannes Film Festival spoke to Anupama Chopra about how he was just thrilled to be able to play a role in ‘Manthan’. The actor loved the part he had to play and was more than anything eager to “showing off all his wares” as an actor. He had hoped that ‘Manthan’ would change his fortunes but not once did it occur to him, that ‘Manthan’ would “stand the test of time”.

Shyam Benegal’s national award winning film offers a dramatized portrayal of the incredible dairy cooperative movement that revolutionized India, taking it from a milk-deficient country to the world's largest milk producer. Inspired by Dr. Verghese Kurien, known as the Father of the White Revolution, the movie captures the essence of this monumental transformation.

Naseeruddin hit the Cannes film festival this year for the first time, for the screening of the iconic classic ‘Manthan’ at an illustrious gala held at Salle Bunuel. Shah’s ‘Manthan’ has become the only Indian film screened at the Cannes Classics section. The veteran actor hit the red carpet with his wife, actress Ratna Pathak Shah, joined by actor Prateik Babbar, son of the late Smita Patil, and Nirmala Kurien, daughter of Verghese Kurien, among other guests.