Manoj Bajpayee’s new film Jugnuma (The Fable) has been making the rounds at top festivals like Berlinale, Leeds and MAMI before opening in Indian cinemas last week. The film, set in the Himalayas of the late 1980s, is steeped in magical realism and has been praised for its themes of superstition, class and generational trauma.
Before starting work on the project, Manoj and director Raam Reddy decided to stop at the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Kainchi Dham, Uttarakhand. Instead of heading straight to the shooting location, the two agreed to “meet in the middle” at the spiritual retreat.
"We went to Babaji’s cave. We meditated and some magical things happened. We both witnessed it. As we were climbing down, both of us said, ‘We found the film’. It was just a feeling. If you ask me to narrate it, I can’t,” he told an entertainment portal.
The Family Man actor later described the experience as deeply moving, something he and the director felt together. Both came away believing that the film revealed itself to them in that moment.
Manoj also spoke about a personal struggle before Jugnuma. Around the time the first season of The Family Man was about to begin, he felt restless and close to leaving the film industry altogether. For almost a year, he stayed away from work and considered stepping away from the profession.
This was just before he started shooting for the first season of The Family Man, which went on to become one of his most acclaimed works.
Moreover, the actor said he found strength in his wife, former actor Shabana Raza, during that time. She told him to do whatever work he wanted to do, and if you felt like leaving this city (Mumbai) and industry, they were ready for it. When Jugnuma came to him, he immediately felt connected. He said that he found all the answers were there in the script.
Manoj is among several well-known names who have visited the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram. Actor Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli are also followers.
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