Ronit J

Jugnuma: The Fable (2024) Synopsis:

After discovering burned trees in his orchards, a wealthy landowner grows suspicious of his workers and nomads passing through his vast estate.

Jugnuma: The Fable (2024) Review:

I discovered Raam Reddy because of his debut film, Thithi (2015). It remains to be one of my favourite Indian films ever made. While I saw Jugnuma on my feed weeks ago, it’s only after reading that Raam Reddy made this film is when I decided to finally watch it. And I am glad I did.

Jugnuma opens to a single take of Dev (Manoj Bajpayee), an apple orchard estate owner, as he steps out of his house. He greets his wife, Nandini (Priyanka Bose) & son, Juju (Awan Pookot) before making his way to his workshop. There, he puts on a pair of wings (similar to Icarus), and walks over to a ramp facing a valley, where he jumps off. The film’s magic realism elements continue to remind you that this is not an ordinary story. Later, Vanya (Hiral Sidhu) surprises her parents by coming home early for her vacations. However, those vacations end up being a tumultuous time for Dev, as mysterious fires burn down trees in his orchard. With the help of his manager, Mohan (Deepak Dobriyal), he tries to investigate the source, leading to growing tension and distrust between him and the working labourers as well as their families/communities.

A Film For The Festivals

Jugnuma is not a film for everyone. From it’s rustic, dated-looking analogue film visuals, to its dreamy atmosphere, the film is an auteur-driven experience with an esoteric appeal. The film switches between English and Hindi, the dialogues being relatively muted and soft, letting the visuals, sound, music and atmosphere tell the story. And that story too remains largely ambiguous, like a distant memory being recalled.

I’ve seen many films in festivals with similarly striking aesthetics. Often, these films end up being a hit or miss for me. However, these films almost always are uniquely moving experiences that stay with me longer than I anticipate. The true power of cinema to fully immerse you in a world can feel magical at times. That rings true when talking about Jugnuma. The visuals hold an aspect of fading memory, further reinforced by the fact that the narrator is a character in his old age recalling his younger days. The memory then begs the question: how much is really true, and how much is misremembering filling in the gaps?

The fairy tale nature of the narrative adds another layer of passed-on legends. In fact, Radha (Tillotama Shome) recounts a folk tale to her son, which holds the key to understanding the film’s narrative. Without spoon-feeding you, Raam Reddy crafts a tale of class-divide, conquest, and reclamation, all without once breaking away from the aesthetics of this magical fable. A brilliantly unique cinematic experience.

Ambiguity & Memory

Fables tend to be simple stories that hold more complicated teachings. Jugnuma inverts that trope, presenting to us a complex tale of class divide, mistrust, and, whilst adding in ambiguous elements of magic realism. Where Fables tell you the lesson, Jugnuma shows you the same, whilst urging you to reflect on what the fantastical could mean. That being said, the ambiguity of the film’s narrative can either make for an enlightening experience, or a frustrating one.

I’ll admit, I love these kinds of films. However, it’s possible that watching this movie at the end of a tiring day might not have been the best way of experiencing the film. The active engagement and reflection that Jugnuma demands is something that is certain to drive away many. But those who dare to decipher the film’s meanings are sure to find something magical within.

From Dev’s longing to soar in the skies using Icarus wings, to the burning down metaphor that could be perceived as a twist on the Icarus myth itself, Jugnuma is chockfull of puzzling motifs. Even the songs that Nandini sings when prompted reveal something deeper from the narrative and Dev’s inner conflicts.

Lastly, the fact that this story is being recounted by an old Mohan, leaves everything open to interpretation. Is the film a fairy tale whose fantastical elements were lost to fading memories? Or is the old man filling in his memory gap with fantasies of fables? Both interpretations (and what they mean for the larger narrative) are equally impressive in my opinion.

Jugnuma: The Fable (2024) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

After being unable to discover who set the fires, Dev begins to suspect even Mohan, his manager. Isolated and with no labourers on his property, he expects the fires to stop. However, one night, when his family has gone to Nandini’s parent’s home, Dev witnesses fireflies swarming his garden. The scene itself is transcendental. From there, the older Mohan narrates how Dev and his family sold their property, distributing it back to the villagers, and left. No one ever saw or heard from them ever again. Mohan and his family received the house, where he found a heartfelt letter written to him by Dev.

We then see Radha, who is taking care of her son, Dev’s wings hanging in the background. A lone firefly lands on the wings, the glowing backside of the firefly setting the wings on fire. We cut to a bunch of winged people flying in the sky, with Mohan stating that this was nothing short of a fable.

To me, the ending hints that Dev and his family were really fairy folk (from Radha’s story). The fireflies were the fairies’ way of telling them that they must return home. The fires weren’t a malicious threat from the villagers. It was an ill-informed indicator from Dev’s original people of how Dev and his family didn’t belong with the villagers, and they should return their land to its original inhabitants.

Allegorically, we could also interpret this story as indigenous folk reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. Dev and his family inherited the orchards from the British colonisers. Even after gaining independence, the indigenous folk of this village continued to subsist under the elite class. Where Dev is preoccupied with fantastical goals of soaring through the skies, the people are more focused on survival and making ends meet. The fireflies setting fire could be nature’s way of highlighting this unnatural and unjust system. The ‘fairy folk’ who don’t understand earth don’t belong here, and should not try to conquer what isn’t theirs.

Is Jugnuma: The Fable (2024) worth watching?

Depends. Jugnuma is the kind of artsy film you’d expect to watch at a film festival. It won’t appeal to everyone, especially given the ambiguity of its plot and narrative. However, if you love those kinds of movies, this might be right up your alley.

In Conclusion:

Jugnuma: The Fable (2024) by Raam Reddy is a meditative watch that will leave you pondering its true meaning. A fairy tale that illuminates class conflicts, the film’s ambiguity makes it quite a dreamy experience.

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