Shyam Benegal Reveals No Promotions Were Done For Manthan Ahead Of Film's Cannes Screening

A restored version of Manthan, starring Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Girish Karnad, is set to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival's Classics segment on May 17. Talking about the original 1976 release of the movie, director Shyam Benegal revealed there was no publicity done for Manthan. The filmmaker added the movie developed its own momentum when five lakh Gujarat farmers, who contributed Rs 2 each to produce the film, became its "original audience" by turning up in huge numbers to watch it in different parts of the state.

Shyam Benegal credits farmers for Manthan’s success

"They've done an excellent job. The quality of the print now is better than what the first print of the film was 45 years ago when the film was made," Benegal, 89, told PTI in an interview, crediting Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), founded by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, for the film's restoration.

Manthan (The Churning) was inspired by the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Verghese Kurien, who led 'Operation Flood' to transform India from a milk-deficient country to the world's biggest milk producer and is credited for creating the billion-dollar brand Amul.

It was a unique exercise in filmmaking and perhaps one of the first crowd-funded movies to come out of India. Benegal, who will skip the premiere due to health reasons, still remembers how it became a movement of sorts among the farmers of Gujarat to see the movie. "The farmers, who had produced the film, helped make it successful. Once the film opened in Saurashtra, Gujarat, it had an excellent run. It was because of the farmers, they were the original audience of the film; they got their families,” he recalled. 

Manthan’s achievements 

The film 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 to the 1976 Academy Awards in the best foreign language film category. Its title song Mero Gaam Katha Parey, sung by Preeti Sagar, was later used as the soundtrack for Amul's television commercial.

Benegal had already made socially relevant films like Ankur (1974) and Nishant (1975) before Manthan. The 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival runs from May 14 to May 25.