Manoj Bajpayee reveals personal connection to festival-bound 'The Fable'
What's the story
One of India's most acclaimed actors, Manoj Bajpayee, is having a great time on the festival circuit with his film The Fable.
The movie, which premiered at the Berlinale, will now be screened at Valladolid's SEMINCI and the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
Directed by Raam Reddy, The Fable revolves around a family living on a vast Himalayan orchard estate whose lives are disrupted by mysterious fires.
In a recent interview, Bajpayee revealed his connection to The Fable.
Character resonance
'I could understand what Dev was going through...'
Speaking to Variety, Bajpayee revealed that he was attracted to The Fable when he was going through a personal transition toward a more spiritual life.
He immediately connected with his character, Dev, saying: "I could relate to it. I could understand what Dev was going through, the struggle and the conflict of Dev."
"He was getting sucked into the materialistic part of life, which he's inherited from his father and grandfather."
Production challenges
'The Fable' was shot during COVID-19 pandemic
As The Fable was shot during the COVID-19, it posed unique challenges for Bajpayee to depict Dev's journey.
He said: "It's your silence which has to convey a lot of things which the character is going through, the conflict, the wanting to completely detach himself from the goings on and the estate and is still not able to let it go."
Despite the hurdles, the film has been chosen for several international festivals—a recognition Bajpayee holds close to his heart.
New ventures
Bajpayee's upcoming projects: 'Despatch' and 'The Family Man'
Apart from The Fable, Bajpayee will also be seen in Despatch, directed by Kanu Behl. The film, which will premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival, sees Bajpayee as a tabloid journalist going through a mid-life crisis in the digitalization era.
He lauded Behl's rigorous approach to filmmaking.
Meanwhile, he reprises his role as Srikant Tiwari in the Amazon Prime Video series The Family Man with Season 3 currently being filmed.
Upcoming season
Bajpayee also wrapped an Indo-American project
Bajpayee has also wrapped up an untitled Indo-American project directed by Ben Rekhi.
"It's a drama, a story set in India, but told very differently because the director is from the US so his lens is going to be very different," he said.
Speaking about The Family Man Season 3, Bajpayee teased that it will be "far more bigger" and the story will be "far more complicated this time."