The prestigious film festival season has commenced at the French Riviera, capturing the attention of the entire world. This year holds significant importance for India, as the country is presenting various films for global exhibition at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Among them, a particularly noteworthy entry is Smita Patil’s 1976 film ‘Manthan,’ which will be screened in a 4K restored version.
In an interview with Pinkvilla, actor Prateik Patil Babbar, the son of the late actress, expressed his overwhelming emotions before he departed for France on May 15.
“I’m beaming with immense pride. It also happens to be my first time at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. It’s an extremely symbolic moment for me as her son who always knew her as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema and this iconic moment solidifies her legacy as one of the greatest ever to do it.”
The actor is filled with pride as the late actress’ legacy lives on, evident in the fact that even after 48 years, ‘Manthan’ is poised to make its mark at such a prestigious event.
The ‘Ekk Deewana Tha’ actor added, “The fact that she’s been consistently celebrated after her demise, I know that I have humongous shoes to fill but I embrace her legacy and wear it like a badge of honour. This historic moment at Cannes gives me hope and reason to continue on my path in the pursuit of greatness and hopefully one day I’ll be attending the festival with my own film.”
For those caught unfamiliar, ‘Manthan’ was directed by Shyam Benegal and is more popularly known as the country’s first crowd-funded film. Almost 5,00,000 farmers each donated Rs. 2 for its production, and since then, this award-winning cinematic masterpiece is cherished by cinephiles.
‘Manthan’ is scheduled for screening on May 17 as part of the Cannes Classics selection, which features classic films, restored prints, and documentaries.
