Screening of Manoj Bajpayee's film 'The Fable' at the Berlin International Film Festival. By Shantiswarup Tripathi

Manoj Bajpayee's new feature film 'The Fable' directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Ram Reddy was screened at the prestigious '74th Berlin International Film Festival' to a packed audience at Zoo Palast, the prestigious and largest theater with 800 seats. This film festival has been organized from 15 to 24 February 2024. On such an occasion, lead actors Manoj Bajpayee, Deepak Dobriyal, and Priyanka Bose (Agra actress) along with the crew were present at the premiere and red carpet.

‘The Fable’ selected at Encounters is the second Indian film in 30 years to be selected in Berlin's premier competitive section. Conceived as a counterpoint and complement to the competition, Encounters is a competitive section dedicated to new cinematic visions, aiming to promote the aesthetically and structurally daring works of independent, innovative filmmakers.

The film is set in 1989

Shot in 16 mm in Uttarakhand, the film tells the story set in 1989. The film's story follows the journey of Dev (Manoj Bajpayee), who is discovering mysteriously burnt trees in his vast estate of fruit orchards spread across the Indian Himalayas. Despite all efforts, more fires erupt, forcing him to see himself and his family for who they are.

Manoj Bajpayee in the character of Dev

Yes yes! The story of the film is of the spring season of 1989. Dev, a soft-spoken man, owns a vast estate of fruit orchards. He lives with his family in a colonial bungalow high in the Indian Himalayas where even the birds fly low to avoid getting lost in the clouds. He spends much of his time making wings of human-sized birds, which he often straps to his shoulders to glide across the gardens for a quick early morning flight. One day while walking through his property, he notices a mysteriously burnt apple tree. A few days later, he found more burnt trees. Layers of society begin to unravel as the people working in the gardens come under the suspicion of Dev and his manager. Suspicion also falls on a group of nomads meditating. A corrupt sheriff enters the grounds, while loyalists camp in the gardens, keeping a vigilant watch to control the fire.

Despite all efforts, a massive fire broke out a week later, engulfing the entire hillside of the garden. Struggling for answers, Dev resorts to both guns and silence. The slow burn of the gardens forces Dev to see the truth of his disillusioned comfort, ultimately leading him to see himself and his family for who they are.

The Indo-US co-production stars an impressive ensemble cast, including Manoj Bajpayee, Deepak Dobriyal, and Priyanka Bose, debutant Hiral Sidhu, child actor Avan Pookot, and Tillotama Shome in special appearances.

After the success of his internationally acclaimed and National Award-winning debut film 'Tithi' (2016), 'The Fable' is Rama Reddy's second film to achieve critical acclaim and commercial success. Won over 20 international awards and acquired worldwide rights with Netflix.

The film's director, Ram Reddy, 34, studied direction at the Prague Film School. In 2009, Ram wrote and published an English-language magical-realism novel titled It's Raining in Maya. His first feature film Thithi, an Indo-US production, won the Golden Leopards for Best Film and Best First Feature at the 2016 Locarno Festival. The film has since won over twenty awards at various film festivals including Palm Springs, Shanghai, Marrakesh, and Mumbai. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada at the 63rd National Film Awards. It was also invited to the New Directors/New Films program at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. The film was commercially successful, running for nearly 100 days in theaters in India, while also streaming worldwide via Netflix. In February 2016, Rama Reddy was included in the Forbes 30 under 30 list of achievers. 'The Fable' is his second feature film.

The audience appreciated the film

Ram Reddy, excited by the audience response at the Berlinale, says, “The premiere of The Fable yesterday at the Berlinale was incredible! The premiere sold out in less than an hour and our second screening today with almost 1000 seats also sold out. But most importantly, it felt like a celebration, and after all our hard work, the excitement and intrigue felt by the audience was finally beautiful for me to experience for the first time.”

He further adds – “It was amazing to have Manoj Bajpayee ji and my lovely cast (Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal) and crew with me in this dream come true moment! We feel like a family, and the bond we all share as a team has made the premiere even more special. Importantly, the post-screening Q&A began with a woman who regularly attends festivals saying it was the best film she had seen in Berlin. A top French producer, who produced Annette (the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival, 2021), called the film “huge" and “Fantastic”. Hearing these things brought tears to my eyes.”

Sharing his experience about walking the red carpet, the film's lead actor Manoj Bajpayee said, “It is full of pride and joy to walk the red carpet at the Berlin International Film Festival. Our film The Fable has entered the prestigious Encounters segment while performing. The dedication and passion of our amazing team.”

The PRSPCTV production is produced by Prathap Reddy and Sunmin Park (producers of Nicole Kidman starrer 'The Others') in association with Max Media. Written and directed by Ram Reddy, the film is shot by Sunil Ramakrishna Borkar, production is designed by Juhi Aggarwal, Hindi dialogues are written by Varun Grover, casting by Tess Joseph and Gurpal Singh, and sound design and VFX by Nitin Lukose. Have done. It is by Varun Ramanna.

 

 

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