Jugnuma – The Fable is a 2024 drama film directed by Raam Reddy, starring Manoj Bajpayee, Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose, Hiral Sidhu, Awan Pookot and Tillotama Shome. The film has been produced by Prspctvs Productions, co-produced by Maxmedia and Sikhya Entertainment, and distributed by Flip Films. The film is presented by Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap.
The film made history by becoming the first Indian film to win Best Film at the 38th Leeds International Film Festival in the United Kingdom, and also won the Special Jury Award at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024. It had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on February 16, 2024, in the prestigious Encounters segment—marking only the second Indian film in the last 30 years to compete in a key competitive section of the Berlinale.
The film was shot during the COVID-19 pandemic; principal photography was done on 16 mm film on location at Abbot Mount, a British-era hill station, 8 km from Lohaghat in Uttarakhand, where the main house in the film was located. The film released theatrically in India on 12 September 2025.
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Plot
Set in the spring of 1989, the story follows Dev and his family living in a colonial mansion atop a Himalayan cliff. Their peaceful life on a vast fruit orchard estate is disrupted when Dev discovers mysteriously burnt trees. As more trees are destroyed, tensions rise. Suspicion falls on passing nomads, and a corrupt sheriff complicates the investigation. Despite his desperate efforts to control the situation, more fires erupt. Deep in the darkness, in the silence of the night, answers begin to emerge.
Cast
Manoj Bajpayee as Dev
Hiral Sidhu as Vanya, Dev's daughter
Priyanka Bose as Nandini, Dev's wife
Tillotama Shome as Radha
Awan Pookot as Juju, Dev's son
Deepak Dobriyal as Dev's manager
Gurpal Singh
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on February 16, 2024, where it competed in the Encounters segment. It is notable as only the second Indian film in the past 30 years to feature in one of the Berlin Film Festival's key competitive sections.
The film will release theatrically on 12 September 2025.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and said that "Manoj Bajpayee-starrer is at it most piercing when it is gentle. It weaves in the prosaic, the quotidian, with quiet strokes of magical realism."
Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India rated it 4/5 stars and stated that "Raam Reddy’s fantasy-fuelled mystery is a tender love letter to the mountains and the unhurried life — the one we traded for ambition long ago."
Anuj Kumar of The Hindu observed that "Perched somewhere between magic and realism, filmmaker Raam Reddy spins an evocative cautionary tale of ecological and social decay in his sophomore film ‘Jugnuma: The Fable’."
Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India commented that "Raam Reddy’s second feature is a myth-busting triumph of beauty and curiosity."
Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com gave 3 stars out of 5 and said that "Jugnuma has the unhurried pace of a stroll at dusk through the hills and the quiet delight in coming across jugnus (fireflies) twinkling in the trees."
Vineeta Kumar of India Today rated it 3/5 stars and writes that "'Jugnuma: The Fable', a slow-burn mystery that ties magic, realism, and metaphor. It lingers long after viewing, but its meditative pace may not appeal to everyone."
Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost rated it 3.5/5 stars and said that "The movie makes you understand that what truly belongs to you, comes back to you and nature has a way of saying that in the most harshest possible way. Jugnuma makes us believe that is time to celebrate independent cinema."
Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times rated it 3/5 stars and said that "Overall, Jugnuma shows that a fable is not just about magic but about the truths hidden within the everyday. It leaves you with questions, images, and a mood that lingers far longer than the runtime."