The trailer of Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming film, Jugnuma (The Fable) was unveiled by the makers on Saturday. Written and helmed by Thithi (2016) director Raam Reddy, it features Hindi dialogues penned by Varun Grover. The film also stars Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal, Tillotama Shome, Hiral Sidhu and Awan Pookot in pivotal roles. Anurag Kashyap, Vetri Maaran, Lijo Jose Pellissery, Nag Ashwin and Raj B Shetty came together to unveil the trailer.
The trailer introduces Manoj as Dev, an orchard owner in the 1980s Himalayas, living with his family on his estate. One night, he discovers that parts of a nearby forest have caught fire and he wants to uncover the mystery behind the incident. His search for answers sets him on a journey to discover buried family truths and folklore. The film has been shot on celluloid and has a dreamy, nostalgic look which sets its visuals apart from movies that are shot in the digital format. The trailer ends with a magical sequence of a man with wings jumping from a mountain top.
Guneet Monga Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Rajan Singh & J Ethan Park serve as executive producers on the film. Sharing the film’s trailer, Anurag wrote in caption, “Jugnuma is a film for ages and that’s the reason all of us are supporting the film, so more and more audience watches it. When I reached out to Vetri, Lijo, Raj and Nag, they were more than happy to support it and present the trailer with us.”
Director Raam said, “For a filmmaker, moments like these feel almost unreal. To have some of the most visionary storytellers of our generation come together in support of Jugnuma is both in humbling and deeply affirming. This film was born out of an intimate journey into magical realism - created from the heart and in a vacuum - and to see it embraced by such giants of Indian cinema makes me believe that cinema really is a dream worth fighting for."
Jugnuma has been doing rounds at international film festivals since the past two years. It premiered at Berlin International Film Festival, won the award for Best Film at Leeds International Film Festival and also bagged the Special Jury Prize at Mami Mumbai Film Festival.
Produced by Pratap Reddy, Sunmin Park, Raam Reddy and Juhi Agarwal, the film is set to be released in theatres on September 12.