Restored version of Shyam Benegal’s Manthan to be re-released in theatres on this day

The restored version of Shyam Benegal’s Manthan (1976) will be re-released in theatres on June 1, he announced on Thursday. The restoration work on the film was done by Film Heritage Foundation (FHF). The film will run in over 100 theatres across the country on June 1 and June 2.

FHF took to Instagram to share a video of Shyam announcing the news. He expressed his joy at seeing the restored version of the film 48 years after its release and thanked FHF for taking on the task of re-working on it. In the caption, FHF wrote, “Shyam Benegal announces the release of his film Manthan (1976) restored by Film Heritage Foundation in association with the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. in 50 cities and over 100 cinemas across India on June 1 and 2, 2024 and shares a few details about the making of the remarkable film produced by 500,000 farmers.”

Manthan is based on Dr. Varghese Kurien’s milk cooperative movement and was made through donations made by over 5 lakh farmers in Gujarat. It starred Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Girish Karnad and Amrish Puri. The film’s screenplay was written by playwright Vijay Tendulkar with dialogues by Kaifi Azmi.

It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 1977 and it was also India’s official submission for the Academy Award that year.