Shyam Benegal (1934-2024) was one of India’s most venerated filmmakers whose early films were iconic in India’s Parallel Cinema movement.

His 1976 film Manthan is a potent, political landmark in Indian independent filmmaking. Its existence is also unique: 500,000 dairy farmers each contributed two rupees to its production, making it the first ever ‘crowd-funded’ film. Shyam Benegal’s groundbreaking film is a powerful exploration of gender, class, and caste inequalities in rural Gujarat.