When Manoj Bajpayee Visited Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham: "We Went To His Cave And Magical Things Happened"

Actor Manoj Bajpayee has revealed that he and his Jugnuma (The Fable) director Raam Reddy went to the famed Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand before they started shooting on the film.

Set in the late 1980s in the Himalayas, Jugnuma is steeped in magical realism, explores themes such as generational trauma, class, superstition, and mysticism. After travelling to film festivals such as the Berlinale, Berlin and Leeds International Film Festivals and Mumbai's MAMI Film Festival, the movie released in cinemas last week.

The actor said he and Raam Reddy, also known for Thithi, said they decided to not go to the film location straightaway but meet somewhere "in the middle" and that was at Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham.

In an interview with Just Too Filmy, Manoj Bajpayee said, "We went to Babaji's cave. We meditated and some magical things happened. We both witnessed it. As we were climbing down both of us said, 'We found the film'... It's just a feeling. If you ask me to narrate it to you, I can't."

The National Award winning actor, who was last seen in Inspector Zende, said there was a time when he wanted to pack up his bags and leave films for good. Interestingly, it was just before he started shooting for the first season of his acclaimed series The Family Man, whose highly anticipated third season is expected to drop this year.

"I was going through a phase where I felt restless. It made me feel that 'Time is up and I should leave this profession'. It (the feeling) was very intense. Just before starting this film (Jugnuma), I didn't work for one year. Just before season one of The Family Man started, I was in that state of mind," he added.

Manoj Bajpayee said his friends were "scared" for him and the only person who could understand his feelings was his wife and former actor Shabana Raza.

"She told me 'Do whatever work you want to do. If you feel like leaving this city and industry, we are ready for it'. I was not able to find an answer to these questions. All the answers were there in the script of Jugnuma... I read the script and immediately connected to it," he said.

Besides Manoj Bajpayee, actor Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli also are ardent followers of Neem Karoli Baba.

Also Read | Jugnuma Review: Manoj Bajpayee Turns Birdman In This Interpretation Of A Vivid Dream