Naseeruddin Shah opens up on caste-ism that is shown so effectively 'Manthan': 'Why these people could not be treated as human?'

Veteran star Naseeruddin Shah recently attended the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for the first time, where his film 'Manthan' was screened in the Cannes Classics section. It also stars the late Smita Patil.
The film received a standing ovation that lasted 5 minutes, marking a significant milestone in Shah's career. In an interview with Indian Express, Naseeruddin Shah opens up about about the caste-ism that is shown so effectively in the film when her was shooting.
Shah shared an experience where he saw a shopkeeper yell at a girl to step out, which deeply hurt him.He mentioned that he was in his villager's uniform at the time, so no one recognized him. He recalled hearing people being addressed in pejorative terms and wondered why they couldn't be treated as human beings.
The senior actor added that the film seems modern because the topics it addresses, such as patriarchy, the caste system, and the rewards of collective effort, are still very relevant. He also noted that Dr Kurien, the architect of Operation Flood and the inspiration for Karnad's character, is portrayed with his strengths and weaknesses, rather than being made into a superhero.
Directed by Shyam Benegal's, this 1976 film was screened at the Bunuel Theatre at Cannes on Friday as part of Cannes Classics 2024, who missed the screening due to health reasons. The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) team, along with FHF director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Naseeruddin Shah, daughter of Verghese Kurien Nirmala Kurien, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Prateik Babbar attended the red carpet event for the film.
For those unaware, 'Manthan' is the first-ever crowd-funded film in the history of Indian cinema. Attendees at the screening were surprised to learn that the film was funded by 500,000 farmers.