Director Raam Reddy’s visually stunning film The Fable, starring Manoj Bajpayee, has received the Special Jury Prize in the South Asia Competition at the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. The film, which premiered in Asia last week at MAMI, was praised by filmmaker Kabir Khan as a "polished and imaginative" cinematic work that showcases Reddy's ambitions as a director.
Though Raam Reddy is currently in Spain attending another film festival and couldn’t attend MAMI’s closing ceremony, his father, producer Pratap Reddy, accepted the award on the team’s behalf. He read a heartfelt message expressing gratitude: “We thank MAMI for the opportunity to showcase our film at such a passionate festival. Our team worked from the heart, overcoming many challenges to bring this dream to the screen. We’re deeply humbled and grateful for this recognition.” Reflecting on his win, Reddy shared, “Winning the same award with Thithi in 2015 and now returning with The Fable feels like a beautiful full circle. Beyond the award, the audience’s response was the true reward.”
Manoj Bajpayee described his experience in the film as "transformative," noting, “The story’s quiet complexity challenged me as an actor. Despite the pandemic’s disruptions, our team’s belief in Raam’s vision kept us going. This award is a testament to that journey.”
Executive Producers Guneet Monga Kapoor and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment celebrated the achievement, stating, “We’re incredibly proud of The Fable. This award reflects the hard work, passion, and resilience of the entire team. At Sikhya, we aim to champion unique stories that push boundaries, and The Fable is a perfect example.”
The film also features stellar performances from Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal, Tillotama Shome, Hiral Sidhu, and Awan Pookot. After a successful start at MAMI, The Fable will continue its festival journey, screening next at SEMINCI in Spain on October 25th and 26th. It will also be shown at Brazil’s MOSTRA festival from October 17th to 20th, followed by screenings at the 3 Continents Festival in France, the Leeds International Film Festival, and Cork International Film Festival in Ireland in November.