The Fable (2024)

A family living in a colonial mansion atop a Himalayan cliff faces a mysterious series of fires that threaten their peaceful life.

The story

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.

Original title

Jugnuma: The Fable

First release year

2024

Runtime (minutes)

118

Production countries

India; United States

Original languages

Hindi; English

Directors

Raam Reddy

Writers

Raam Reddy · writer

Cast and characters

Manoj Bajpayee · Dev; Hiral Sidhu · Vanya, Dev's daughter; Priyanka Bose · Nandini, Dev's wife; Tillotama Shome · Radha; Awan Pookot · Juju, Dev's son; Deepak Dobriyal · Dev's manager

Genres

drama; fantasy; magical realism

Themes

ecological decay; social decay; colonial hangover; conservatism; environmental exploitation; mountain mysticism

Tone and mood

gentle; whimsical; dark; meditative; evocative

Setting

A colonial mansion atop a Himalayan cliff in 1989.

Premise and plot tags

mystery; magical realism; fantasy; slow-burn

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its visual beauty, magical realism, and evocative atmosphere, though some noted its slow, meditative pace.

Reported review scores

The Indian Express · score: 3.5 · scale: 5; The Times of India · score: 4 · scale: 5; Rediff.com · score: 3 · scale: 5; India Today · score: 3 · scale: 5; Firstpost · score: 3.5 · scale: 5; Hindustan Times · score: 3 · scale: 5; NDTV · score: 3 · scale: 5; Filmfare · score: 4 · scale: 5; The Free Press Journal · score: 3 · scale: 5; The Tribune · score: 3.5 · scale: 5; The Quint · score: 3 · scale: 5; Outlook · score: 3.5 · scale: 5

Awards and nominations

Best Film · 38th Leeds International Film Festival · 2024 · win; Special Jury Award · MAMI Mumbai Film Festival · 2024 · win

Production trivia

The film was shot during the COVID-19 pandemic.; Principal photography was done on 16 mm film.; It was the second Indian film in the last 30 years to compete in a key competitive section of the Berlinale.

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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