Manoj Bajpayee says visit to Neem Karoli Baba’s Kainchi Dham led him to Jugnuma: ‘I was going through a restless phase’

Manoj Bajpayee opened up about how a visit to Neem Karoli Baba’s Kainchi Dham became the turning point for his new film Jugnuma.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee is earning rave reviews for his performance in Jugnuma- The Fable. In the last two decades, the actor has carved a niche for himself in the industry and recently rose to even greater fame with OTT successes. In an interview with Just Too Filmy, the actor shared that he was quite restless and thought his time as an actor was over. It was less about stardom and more about soul-searching. The actor opened up about how a visit to Neem Karoli Baba’s Kainchi Dham became the turning point for him, as well as his film Jugnuma.

Manoj Bajpayee recalled the journey to Neem Karoli Baba’s Kainchi Dham, that became the touchstone for his film Jugnuma.

What Manoj said

Manoj said that he and director Ram Reddy had decided to visit Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand before starting the film. He shared, “I was going through a very restless phase. I even thought maybe my time in this profession was up. Just before The Family Man Season 1, I didn’t work for a year. I was searching for answers. Ram said, ‘Let’s meet at Babaji’s cave.’ We climbed for almost an hour, meditated there, and something magical happened. As we came down, both of us looked at each other and said, ‘We found the film.’”

For Manoj, it wasn’t just a recce, but a spiritual experience. He added, “That moment gave me the answers I was looking for. It was about detachment, about flying away from all attachments. I can’t explain it in words, but I felt it deeply.”

Neem Karoli Baba’s presence in Jugnuma

Bajpayee shared that the themes of Jugnu Ma—detachment, liberation, and finding peace—echo what he experienced at Kainchi Dham. “The protagonist of this film goes through the same struggle. The more attached you are, the more problems you face. But sometimes, when you let go, that’s where liberation begins. I was his student, his actor, his elder brother — everything. But in truth, Kainchi Dham gave both of us the film.”

Directed by Raam Reddy, the film stars Manoj alongside Deepak Dobriyal, Priyanka Bose, Hiral Sidhu, Awan Pookot and Tillotama Shome. Produced by Prspctvs Productions, co-produced by Maxmedia and Sikhya Entertainment, and distributed by Flip Films, the movie is being presented by Academy Award winner Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap.