Shyam Benegal’s restored version of Manthan gets 5-minute standing ovation at Cannes

Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah and Prateik Babbar arrived at Cannes, France to attend the world premiere of Shyam Benegal's restored version of the landmark film Manthan (1976) at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation founded by moviemaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, also returned to the Cannes red carpet for a third year in a row last night to attend the premiere.

The film was screened in the Cannes Classic section and Indian audiences can watch the film in theatres on World Milk Day (June 1).

The premiere was also attended by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Nirmala Kurien (daughter of Dr. Verghese Kurien), Dr. Anita Patil Deshmukh and Manya Patil Seth (sisters of late actress Smita Patil) and the producer of the film, Dr. Jayen Mehta (Managing Director, Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.).

During the inauguration, Shivendra Singh said, "It was amazing walking the red carpet third time in a row and presenting another restored classic here in Cannes." The film received a five-minute standing ovation after the premiere.

The film explored the beginnings of the extraordinary dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient nation to the world's largest milk producer. It is inspired by Dr. Verghese Kurien, Father of the White Revolution. The national award-winning film was also India’s first crowdfunded movie produced by 500,000 dairy farmers who contributed Rs. 2/- each towards the production of the film.

Film Heritage Foundation restored the film at Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd.’s Post – Studios, Chennai and L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, in association with Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (Amul), the cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the director Shyam Benegal.