This year’s Cannes Film Festival is particularly significant for Indian film. Reason? Shyam Benegal’s masterpiece Manthan became the only Indian film to be exhibited at the Cannes Classics section. The film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Smita Patil, and Amrish Puri. On Friday, the 1976 picture debuted at a distinguished event at Salle Bunuel. Naseeruddin Shah, his wife, actress Ratna Pathak Shah, the late Smita Patil’s son, actor Prateik Babbar, and Verghese Kurien’s daughter, Nirmala Kurien, are among those who attended the screening. They all appear ecstatic as they pose for the camera dressed in cultural attire, representing India on a worldwide scale.
