In an action-filled tale of palace intrigues, Amrit Manthan makes a plea for a humane religion, one which is not contaminated by bloodshed. "The title refers to the churning of the oceans by the gods for the elixer of life. To avoid contaminating the earth, Lord Shiva swallowed all poisonous substances that came out during the churning, leaving only what was good for mankind" (Shampa Banerjee, Profiles). The story tells of a reformist king, Krantivarma of Avanti, who bans the sacrifice of humans and animals in religious rites. He is opposed and eventually assassinated by the orthodox believer, Rajguru, but his cause is taken up by his daughter, Mohini, when she ascends to the throne. The first film to be produced by the Prabhat Film Company (co-founded by Shantaram) in its new Pune studios, Amrit Manthan was shot on elaborate sets with lavish costumes, setting new standards in art direction. Shantaram's daring use of the big close-up became the talk of the critics.