Prateik Babbar says his mother Smita Patil was untrained during Manthan
Prateik Babbar recently experienced a moment of pride as he attended the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
The actor was present for the screening of his late mother Smita Patil’s 1976 classic Manthan. Prateik, in a recent interview with India Today recalled that despite not being a trained actor, Smita shot for the Shyam Benegal directorial.
Prateik remembers Smita Patil’s acting journey
Prateik while expressing pride on Manthan being premiered in Cannes Classic Section, said, “It was an extremely proud moment for me as her son. Being celebrated 37 years after her death at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival was a historic event for Indian cinema and the entire team of Manthan. I was overwhelmed. Watching her on-screen at Cannes solidified her legacy and body of work for me. She is undeniably one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema… one of the greatest to ever do it. Period.”
He further opined, “Everybody was in absolute awe of her brilliant and mature performance. She (Smita Patil) was all of 20 years old and untrained as an actor when she shot the film. This just proves that she was born to be one of the greatest actors to ever do it. I have humongous shoes to fill, but I embrace it all and will never stop striving to be just like her. This moment will remain one of the most symbolic and iconic for me as her son… of her legacy, of our legacy, and on my journey in pursuit of greatness.”
Manthan screened at Cannes 2024
Manthan was recently screened at the Cannes Classic section at Cannes 2024. Apart from Prateik, Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak also attended the screening. Naseeruddin, in an interview with Brut India described it as a “terribly emotional experience.” He said, “It felt unreal to me. I have always seen the red carpet ceremony either on video or in photographs. I have seen all these lovely ladies parading themselves in their gorgeous costumes. I never dreamt I’d be a part of that one day. So, my wife and I decided to keep it as simple as possible. And, of course, it was a terribly emotional experience. Because there were so many friends who were in the film. Girish was a friend and my teacher. He was the director of FTII. Smita was a dear friend and so was Amrish. None of them are there any longer.”
Manthan was inspired by the Milk Revolution pioneered by the Padma Vibhushan recipient, late Verghese Kurien. Late veteran Girish Karnad’s character in the film was based on him.