‘Manthan’ was India’s official submission for the Oscars in 1976, but it did not make it to the nominations…reports Asian Lite News
Mumbai-based fashion influencer and wardrobe consultant Kinnari Jain will attend the Cannes Film Festival, where she will support Shyam Benegal’s ‘Manthan’, the 1976 film inspired by the Amul story and the life of India’s ‘Milk Man’, Verghese Kurien.
Kinnari will walk the red carpet on Tuesday, May 14, and attend the ‘Manthan’ screening as well as the Cannes Official Afterparty.
Starring Smita Patil, Girish Karnad (who played Dr Rao, inspired by Kurien), Naseeruddin Shah and Mohan Agashe, the film has been restored by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur’s Film Heritage Foundation.
‘Manthan’ was India’s official submission for the Oscars in 1976, but it did not make it to the nominations.
Based on a script co-written by Benegal and renowned playwright, Vijay Tendulkar, ‘Manthan’ was an early example of a crowd-funded film.
As many as 500,000 farmers in Gujarat paid Rs 2 each to finance the film. It went on to win the National Award for Best Hindi Feature Film in 1976. Its song, ‘Mero Gaan Katha Parey’, won Preeti Sagar of ‘My Heart is Beating’ (‘Julie’) fame that year’s Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer.
‘Manthan’ will be screened under Cannes Classics, a section that was created 20 years ago to showcase restored prints and documentaries.
In a statement, Kinnari Jain said: “It is a dream come true to be part of such a renowned event. I can’t wait to connect with like-minded individuals and experience the magic of cinema on a global scale.”
