The 77th edition of the ongoing Cannes Film Festival will mark an important milestone for Indian cinema on the global stage as Shyam Benegal’s classic ‘Manthan’ will be screened during a prestigious event at the Salle Buñuel on Friday.

‘Maathan’, which starred late actress Smita Patil, is the only Indian film to be selected under the Cannes Classic section of the festival this year. Based on the milk cooperative movement pioneered by Dr. Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution in India, the film was made by five lakh dairy farmers of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets its products under the brand Amul. Brand. The Gujarat-set film was the first crowd-funded Indian film, completely crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers who donated Rs 2 each.

Kurien co-wrote the script of the film with Vijay Tendulkar. The film also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Mohan Agashe, Anant Nag and Amrish Puri. ‘Manthan’ won two National Film Awards in 1977: for Best Feature Film in Hindi and for Best Screenplay for Tendulkar. It was also India’s official entry for the 1976 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The premiere of the restored version of the film at Cannes will be attended by Naseeruddin Shah, the family of late Smita Patil, the film’s producers. and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of the Film Heritage Foundation.

Regarding the film’s screening at Cannes, Shyam Benegal had earlier said, “I was very happy when Shivendra told me that the Film Heritage Foundation is going to restore “Manthan” in collaboration with Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. Manthan is a It’s a film that’s very close to my heart because it was funded by 500,000 farmers and played a vital role in the development of an extraordinary cooperative movement that aimed to end economic inequality and caste discrimination by empowering farmers. Had to break the shackles.”

He further added, “It will remind the world of the power of cinema as a medium of change and the legacy of the great Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution. Govind Nihalani and I are closely monitoring the progress of the restoration and I look forward to the revival.” It’s amazing to see the film come to life almost the way it did yesterday. The Film Heritage Foundation is not only restoring the films beautifully, but also showcasing them at festivals around the world. “To bring it back to the public at screenings in a way that showcases our unique film heritage to a contemporary global audience.”

The Cannes Film Festival 2024 began on May 14 and will continue till May 25. (ANI)