Film Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, has partnered with Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. teamed up to restore veteran Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s national award-winning film Agitated in which late famous film actress Smita Patil played the lead role. The 4K restoration of the 1976 film has been selected for the official red carpet world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024. Remarkably, Agitated is the only Indian film to be selected as part of the Cannes Classic section of the festival this year. The film premiere will be attended by Naseeruddin Shah, the family of late Smita Patil, the producers of the film and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of the Film Heritage Foundation.
Restored version of Shyam Benegal’s Manthan starring Smita Patil will premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival
Agitated, a fictionalized version of the beginnings of the extraordinary dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient country to the world’s largest milk producer, inspired by Dr. Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution, is also India’s first crowdsourced film produced by 5,00,000 dairy farmers who contributed Rs. 2 each for the production of the film. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation, said: “I am delighted that the Film Heritage Foundation will be premiering another of our restorations of an Indian cult classic on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Restoring a film by Shyam Benegal has been on the Film Heritage Foundation’s wish list for years, as he is one of India’s most revered filmmakers, whose early films were iconic in India’s parallel cinema movement. The restoration process was an incredible experience, especially working closely with Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani to painstakingly bring the film back to life. Almost half a century later, the power of the narrative and the captivating performances of the actors, especially Smita Patil, remain undiminished. I wish she was here to see the beauty of the restoration.”
Shyam Benegal says, “I was absolutely thrilled when Shivendra told me that the Film Heritage Foundation would be doing a restoration Agitated in collaboration with Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. Manthan is a film that is very close to my heart as it was funded by 500,000 farmers and was instrumental in the growth of an extraordinary cooperative movement that aimed to break the shackles of economic inequality and caste discrimination while empowering farmers. It will remind the world of the power of cinema as a vehicle for change and also of the legacy of the great Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution. Govind Nihalani and I have been closely following the progress of the restoration and I am amazed at the meticulous approach to the restoration. It’s wonderful to see the film come back to life, almost like we did yesterday. The Film Heritage Foundation has done remarkable work in film restoration. Not only do they beautifully restore films from all regions of India, but they also bring them back to festivals and screenings around the world in a way that showcases our unique film heritage to contemporary global audiences.”
Naseeruddin Shah explains, “I started my acting career with ‘Nishant’, followed by ‘Manthan’, both directed by Shyam Benegal. Agitated was a huge success when it was released almost 50 years ago and is a film that is still remembered today. I remember living in the hut while filming Manthan, learning to make cow dung cakes and milking a buffalo. I would carry the buckets and serve the milk to the unit to emphasize the physicality of the character. I am so glad that the Film Heritage Foundation has restored this remarkable film and that this little film, made with the support of farmers, has been restored with so much love and care. It is thanks to the persistence, hard work and efforts of the Film Heritage Foundation that the film will premiere in its second life, as it deserves, at the Cannes Film Festival and I am so glad I will be there to make him imagine it himself.”
Govind Nihalani explains, “It is noteworthy that the Film Heritage Foundation is restoring Agitated almost fifty years since it was made. Taking part in the restoration was an emotional experience. It took me back to 1976 when the entire unit lived like a family in Sanganva village in Gujarat for 45 days while the film was being shot. Filming was challenging as we had to use a patchwork of different film stocks – Eastman and Gevacolor alongside Kodak, 35mm for the film and 16mm for the film within the film. I started my career as a cinematographer with Shyam Benegal, who first shot commercials and then his early feature films. We have had an extremely creative, satisfying relationship over the years as Shyam involves her as a partner in the creative process of the film and not just as a cinematographer. I’m delighted to hear that the film’s restoration will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year.”
The Film Heritage Foundation presented at the Cannes Film Festival for the third time in a row and has already celebrated its premiere Tham̄ (2022) and Ishanou (2023) at the renowned film festival.
The Film Heritage Foundation used the best preserved elements for the restoration – the original 35mm original camera negative and the 35mm release print stored at the NFDC – NFAI. Unfortunately the audio negative was not available. The audio was digitized from the 35mm release print held at the Film Heritage Foundation. The film elements were repaired by the restorers of the Film Heritage Foundation and scanning was done at the Prasad Lab in Chennai. They noticed that vertical green lines appeared in many places on the film due to the deterioration of the printing. While scanning and digital cleanup were carried out at Prasad under the supervision of L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, grading, audio restoration and mastering were carried out at the laboratory in Bologna. Both Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani, the film’s cinematographer, were involved in the film’s restoration.
Restored by Film Heritage Foundation at Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd.’s Post – Studios, Chennai and L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, in association with Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., cinematographer Govind Nihalani and director Shyam Benegal. Funding supported by Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.
published in 1976, Agitated (Hindi for “The Churning”) is a film by director Shyam Benegal that explores the challenges and successes of social change in rural India. Set against the backdrop of a village struggling with poverty and exploitation, the film tells of the arrival of Dr. Rao (Girish Karnad), an idealistic veterinarian who is trying to start a dairy cooperative movement.
The story takes place in Sanganva, a village full of social inequalities. The villagers, especially the Dalit community (considered “untouchables” in the caste system), are forced to sell their milk at meager prices to Mishraji (Amrish Puri), a local businessman with a monopoly on the milk trade. The village head (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), who represents the upper caste, adheres to the status quo and fears loss of power if the established social hierarchy is disrupted. Bhola (Naseeruddin Shah), the leader of the Dalit community, looks at Dr. Rao is initially suspicious, an opinion that Bindu (Smita Patil), a strong-willed milkmaid, also takes up.
Dr. Rao’s vision is a fair distribution of profits, free from exploitation by middlemen. This radical idea disrupts existing power structures and triggers mistrust, anger and resistance. The village head and Mishraji, who are threatened with a possible loss of control, actively oppose the cooperative movement. Bhola’s initial skepticism gradually gives way to cautious support when Dr. Rao’s commitment to fair treatment becomes clear.
As Dr. Rao gains the trust of the villagers, especially Bindu, Mishraji resorts to underhanded tactics. Exploiting the existing social divisions, he manipulates Bindu’s husband to make a false accusation of rape against Dr. Rao to invent. Dr. Rao is devastated by the betrayal and considers leaving the village. But Bhola, inspired by Dr. Rao’s vision, steps forward to continue the development of the cooperative. With the villagers’ support and Bindu’s eventual vindication, the cooperative thrives and offers a glimmer of hope for a fairer future.
Agitated is a multi-layered film that transcends the boundaries of mere social commentary. The outstanding cast delivers powerful performances, adding depth and complexity to their characters. Govind Nihalani’s cinematography captures the beauty of rural India, while Vanraj Bhatia’s music effectively complements the narrative.
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Other pages: Manthan Box Office Collection
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