"Manthan" Re-Released as Amul targets global markets and new audiences

"Mero Gaam Katha Parey," a song cherished by generations, originated in the 1976 film *Manthan*. Over the years, it featured in several Amul ads, embedding itself into the nation's collective memory. For those who missed its original big-screen release, the film was re-released on June 1 and 2 in select theaters after being showcased at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

Though it may seem reductive to label the film as branded content, *Manthan* arguably pioneered this concept long before it became a marketing buzzword. Branded content films are typically funded by brands to narrate their stories, and Shyam Benegal’s *Manthan* does just that. It chronicles India’s 'White Revolution,' which united impoverished farmers to establish the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the parent company of Amul. Remarkably, the film was financed by 500,000 farmers who each contributed Rs 2, a significant amount at the time (equivalent to around Rs 31 today).

Dr. RS Sodhi, former MD of Amul and president of the Indian Dairy Association, clarifies that *Manthan* was not created to glorify the Amul brand. Dr. Verghese Kurien, known as the father of the White Revolution in India, aimed to communicate the cooperative model's benefits to the masses, particularly the many illiterate villagers for whom traditional presentations were ineffective. At the time, film was the only effective mass communication tool available. The goal was to narrate the beginnings of the Revolution and its benefits to a broad audience.

The film aimed to tell the story of the cooperative movement's inception, promote women’s empowerment, and showcase a superior model of economic development. It was not just about Amul; it addressed broader issues that Dr. Kurien wanted to communicate.

In 1980, as Operation Flood—the program that led to the White Revolution—was being replicated across India, thousands of farmers, professionals, and technocrats were brought to Anand in Gujarat to learn about the Amul model. Sodhi recalls that the first thing they did was show *Manthan*. Watching the film gave thousands of rural women the confidence and trust that they could replicate the Amul model in their own states and districts despite any hurdles.

The Film Heritage Foundation has digitally restored the film, with funding from GCMMF. It was showcased in the Classics section at the Cannes Film Festival in May and subsequently re-released in theaters across 38 cities on June 1 and 2.

While Amul has been exporting dairy products to nearly 50 countries for decades, this marks its first foray into offering fresh milk outside of India. Currently standing as the eighth-largest milk producer globally, Amul is positioning itself for broader international reach, and the timing aligns perfectly with its showcase at the Cannes Film Festival.