Here's a look at the dramatic before and after images of the restored film that showcase the revival of the film from celluloid in poor condition to its stunning 4K restored version that Shyam Benegal has endorsed, saying, "Now the way you will see it, that is how it should have been. It's an achievement."
Manthan was restored using the best surviving elements: the 35 mm original camera negative preserved at the NFDC-National Film Archive of India and the 35 mm release print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation.
Portions of the original camera negative had colour fading and variations, green mould and flicker, while many parts of the 35 mm print had scratches and vertical green lines. The sound negative had completely deteriorated and could not be used. The sound was digitised from the 35 mm release print.
The film elements were repaired by the Film Heritage Foundation conservators. While the scanning and digital clean-up was done at Prasad Lab in Chennai under the supervision of L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, the grading, sound restoration and mastering was done at the lab in Bologna. Both Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani, the cinematographer of the film, were involved in the restoration of the film.