Manoj Bajpayee nearly gave up acting. The acclaimed star, who built his career on roles in Gangs of Wasseypur and The Family Man, admits he hit a point of restlessness where he thought his time in films
was over. But a quiet visit to Neem Karoli Baba’s Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand turned everything around – and sparked the story of his new film Jugnuma – The Fable.
Visit to Kainchi Dham sparks a film
Bajpayee revealed that he and director Ram Reddy travelled to Kainchi Dham before making the film. At the time, he was questioning whether he should continue acting. “I was going through a very restless phase. I even thought maybe my time in this profession was up,” he said in an interview with Too Filmy.
A moment at Neem Karoli Baba’s cave
The actor shared that he stayed away from work for almost a year while searching for answers. On Reddy’s suggestion, they climbed to Babaji’s cave, meditated, and felt something shift. Bajpayee described the moment as “magical” and said it gave them the inspiration they needed for the film. He went on to add, “Just before The Family Man Season 1, I didn’t work for a year. I was searching for answers. Ram said, ‘Let’s meet at Babaji’s cave.’ We climbed for almost an hour, meditated there, and something magical happened. As we came down, both of us looked at each other and said, ‘We found the film.’”
Lessons reflected in Jugnuma
According to Bajpayee, Jugnuma – The Fable carries the same lessons he experienced at Kainchi Dham – about letting go, finding peace, and seeking freedom. He said, “That moment gave me the answers I was looking for. It was about detachment, about flying away from all attachments. I can’t explain it in words, but I felt it deeply.”
About Jugnuma – The Fable
Directed by Raam Reddy, the film stars Bajpayee alongside Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose, Hiral Sidhu, Awan Pookot and Tillotama Shome. It is produced by Prspctvs Productions, co-produced by Maxmedia and Sikhya Entertainment, and distributed by Flip Films. Academy Award winner Guneet Monga and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap are presenting the project.
