The Film Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organisation established by filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, has partnered with Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. to undertake the restoration of veteran Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s national award-winning film "Manthan," featuring the late iconic actress Smita Patil.
The 4K restoration of the 1976 film has been chosen for the official red-carpet world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024. Remarkably, "Manthan" is the sole Indian film selected for the Cannes Classic section this year. The premiere will be graced by Naseeruddin Shah, the family of the late Smita Patil, the film's producers, and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of the Film Heritage Foundation.
"Manthan" is a fictionalised portrayal of India's remarkable dairy cooperative movement, inspired by Dr Verghese Kurien, the pioneer of the White Revolution. It depicts the nation's transition from a milk-deficient country to the world's largest milk producer. Notably, "Manthan" is India's inaugural crowd-sourced film, financed by 500,000 dairy farmers who each contributed Rs. 2 towards its production.
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation states, “I'm thrilled that Film Heritage Foundation will showcase another restored Indian classic at Cannes. Restoring a Shyam Benegal film has been a long-time goal, given his stature in India's Parallel Cinema movement. Collaborating closely with Benegal and Govind Nihalani to revive the film has been incredible. Nearly fifty years later, the narrative's power and the actors' performances, notably Smita Patil's, still shine. I only wish she could see the restored beauty herself.”
