New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- Actor Manoj Bajpayee has revealed that before beginning work on his latest film Jugnuma (The Fable), he and director Raam Reddy visited the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram at Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand. The serene Himalayan setting, Bajpayee said, played a pivotal role in shaping their approach to the project.

Set in the late 1980s, Jugnuma is steeped in magical realism and explores themes of generational trauma, superstition, class and mysticism. After travelling to prestigious festivals including Berlinale, Leeds, MAMI and Mumbai Film Festival, the film hit theatres last week.

Speaking to Just Too Filmy, Bajpayee recalled how he and Reddy decided not to head straight to the shooting location but to meet "somewhere in t...