Manthan to be screened on Doordarshan in honour of director Shyam Benegal

Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), which restored the 1976 classic film for its premiere in the Cannes Classic section at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, shared the update on its official X page. According to FHF, Manthan will be broadcast on Doordarshan on Wednesday at 8 pm. “To pay tribute to the late Shyam Benegal, Doordarshan will begin the new year with a screening of Manthan (1976) restored by FHF with support from the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (Amul) on Jan 1, 2025, at 8 p.m. on Doordarshan,” the foundation said.

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Manthan was inspired by the ground breaking milk cooperative movement by Dr. Verghese Kurien that transformed India into one of the largest milk producers in the world.

The Hindi film, titled Churning in English, was financed by 5 lakh farmers of Gujarat 48 years ago who contributed Rs 2 each. The opening credits of the movie read: “500,000 Farmers of Gujarat present.” Manthan narrates the story of how a young veterinary doctor (Girish Karnad) fights against oppressive forces to establish a milk cooperative that empowers rural farmers.

It also starred Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, and Amrish Puri.