Shyam Benegal's ‘Manthan’ to be screened at Cannes Film Festival in May

In 1977, Manthan took home the Best Feature Film in Hindi National Film Award and the Best Screenplay for Vijay Tendulkar National Film Award.

At the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May, the restored version of Shyam Benegal's critically acclaimed 1976 feature film Manthan will be exhibited.

Five million dairy farmers of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which sells its goods under the Amul brand, created the film, which is based on the groundbreaking milk cooperative movement of Dr. Verghese Kurien, the founder of the White Revolution in India.

One of GCMMF's efforts to commemorate its golden jubilee has been the 4K restoration. “To commemorate the milestone, the federation joined hands with the Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, to restore Manthan in 4K. The 4K restoration of Manthan has been selected for the official red-carpet world premiere at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in May. Manthan is the only Indian film to be selected under the Cannes Classic section of the festival this year,” said GCMMF.

The tale of Manthan, which stars Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, and Amrish Puri, centres on the hardships and victories of a small group of impoverished farmers who band together to join a dairy cooperative in an effort to better their financial circumstances. It tells the tale of the birth of an incredible dairy cooperative movement that turned India from a country lacking in milk to the world's biggest producer of milk.

With five million dairy farmers from the GCMMF paying Rs 2 apiece to cover the film's production costs, Manthan, which had a budget of Rs 10 lakh, has been recognised as the first crowdfunded Indian production. A major chapter in the socially relevant storylines of Indian cinema has been opened by the film, which highlights the transforming power of community-driven efforts.

In 1977, Manthan took home the Best Feature Film in Hindi National Film Award and the Best Screenplay for Vijay Tendulkar National Film Award. Additionally, India submitted it for the 1976 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.