Manoj Bajpayee’s new feature ‘The Fable’, directed by National award-winning filmmaker Raam Reddy screened at the iconic and largest theatre, Zoo Palast with 800 seats to a packed house of audience, at the prestigious 74th Berlin International Film Festival. The festival is held from 15-24th February 2024.
The premiere and Red Carpet was attended by the lead cast Manoj Bajpayee, Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose (Agra actress) along with the crew.
‘The Fable’ selected in Encounters is the second Indian film in 30 years in a key competitive section of Berlinale. Conceived as a counterpoint and a complement to Competition, Encounters is a competitive section devoted to new cinematic visions, aiming to foster aesthetically and structurally daring works from independent, innovative filmmakers.
Shot on film (16 MM) in Uttarakhand and set in 1989, the film follows the journey of Dev (Manoj Bajpayee) who discovers mysteriously burnt trees in his sprawling estate of fruit orchards nestled in the Indian Himalayas. In spite of all efforts, more fires break out, leading him to see himself and his family for who they truly are.
The Indo-US co-production boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Manoj Bajpayee, Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose, debutant Hiral Sidhu, child actor Awan Pookot and a special appearance by Tillotama Shome.
‘The Fable’ is Raam Reddy’s second feature, following the success of his internationally acclaimed and National Award-winning debut film ‘Thithi’ (2016) which garnered critical acclaim and commercial success, winning over 20 international awards and securing worldwide rights with Netflix.
Excited about the audience response at Berlinale, Raam Reddy says, “The premiere of The Fable at Berlinale yesterday was incredible! The premiere sold out in less than an hour and our second screening today with almost 1000 seats is 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 beautiful for me to finally experience first hand.”
It was amazing to have Manoj (Bajpayee) ji and my lovely cast (Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal) and crew with me during this dream-come-true moment! We feel like a family, and the bonds we all share as a team made the premiere all the more special.
Last but not least, the Q&A post screening started with a lady, who attends festivals regularly, saying it’s the best film she’s ever seen in Berlinale. And a top French Producer who produced Annette (Opening film of Cannes Film Festival, 2021) called the film “Gigantic. Truly brilliant”. Hearing these things brought tears to my eyes.”
Manoj Bajpayee, the lead actor of the film sharing his experience about walking the red carpet says, “Stepping onto the red carpet at the Berlin International Film Festival, filled with pride and joy. Our film The Fable has entered the prestigious Encounters segment, showcasing the dedication and passion of our amazing team.”
A PRSPCTVS PRODUCTION in collaboration with MAXMEDIA is produced by Pratap Reddy and Sunmin Park (producer of Nicole Kidman starrer ‘The Others’). The film written and directed by Raam Reddy is shot by Sunil Ramkrishna Borkar, Juhi Agarwal has done the Production Design, Hindi dialogues are by Varun Grover, Tess Joseph and Gurpal Singh have done the casting, and Nithin Lukose has done the sound design and VFX is by varun Ramanna.
