Cinema Masala: Manthan

MANTHAN is a fictionalized account of the extraordinary dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient nation to the world’s largest milk producer. It is also India’s first crowdfunded film, produced by 500,000 dairy farmers who contributed two rupees each toward the production.

When Dr. Rao (Girish Karnad), an idealistic veterinary surgeon from the city, arrives in a small village to start a milk cooperative movement, his notions of equitable distribution of profits—irrespective of class and caste and free of exploitative middlemen—churn up a maelstrom of mistrust, anger, and resistance that threatens the deep-rooted social hierarchy based on generations of discrimination.

Part of Cinema Masala

Cinema Masala is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, in partnership with the Film Heritage Foundation. Founded and made possible by Sapna Saxena.