Manoj Bajpayee’s ‘Fable’ Boarded by Oscar Winner Guneet Monga Kapoor

Academy Award-winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment have signed on as executive producers for “The Fable,” directed by Raam Reddy. The film is set to make its Indian debut at the upcoming MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

The film stars Manoj Bajpayee as Dev, alongside Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal, and Tillotama Shome. Set in the Indian Himalayas, it follows a family living on an orchard estate whose peaceful life is disrupted by mysterious events.

“The Fable,” which premiered at the Berlinale earlier this year and will play at Valladolid’s SEMINCI, has earned positive reviews. Reviewing the film for Variety, Siddhant Adlakha wrote about the film’s “irrepressible power, wielded by Reddy as though he were a cinematic sorcerer melding past and present, until memory, nostalgia and deeply held beliefs cease to be etched in stone. It is, in effect, a new and necessary way of seeing oneself, one’s childhood, one’s home.”

The film is a co-production between India’s Prspctvs Productions and the U.S.-based Maxmedia. Reddy’s previous work includes “Thithi,” which won two Golden Leopards at the 68th Locarno Film Festival and the National Film Award for best feature film in the Kannada language.

Sikhya and Netflix’s “The Elephant Whisperers,” directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, won best documentary short film at the 2023 Oscars.

Monga Kapoor said: “We’re excited to bring ‘The Fable’ to MAMI 2024. It’s so refreshing to watch an Indian film with global appeal that goes against all the grains and constraints many are tied to. ‘The Fable’ by the incredibly talented director, Raam Reddy magically captures the soul of our Himalayan hills. It is a distinct Indian story with a universal message, mesmerisingly shot on film. With an incredible cast in Manoj Bajpayee, Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal and Tillotama Shome to support this tale, we’re excited to be jumping on board to ensure ‘The Fable’ is celebrated worldwide. We all grew up with fables, perhaps it’s time to revisit one.”

Reddy added: “For Guneet and Achin to believe in this wild and magical dream, and come on board at this special moment in time – just before the Indian premiere at MAMI – fills my heart with immense joy. I greatly admire their path-breaking body of work and feel that both myself and the nature of this film resonate deeply with Sikhya’s passionate ethos for path-breaking cinema. I’m incredibly excited to start this new partnership, and can’t wait for the rest of the journey to unfold.”