Guest Writer Priyanka Arora reviews The Fable (2024).

The Fable (2024), directed by Raam Reddy is a thought-provoking story exploring themes like class, conflict, honesty and imagination. The film boasts magnificent views of the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand. Having won this year’s Best Feature Award at the Leeds Film Festival, it truly stands out to be visually breathtaking with its cinematography.

Manoj Bajpayee excels in his portrayal of Dev, capturing the mannerisms of a soft-spoken landowner. Yet, he holds unquestioned authority within the household. It is, however, the performances of the Orchard staff that truly stand out. The actors brilliantly convey the subtle emotional turmoil and hardship faced by the staff when they are wrongfully accused of starting the fire and losing their jobs. Their expressions of betrayal and quiet suffering resonate deeply, drawing the audience into their plight and eliciting a strong sense of sympathy.

At the film’s core you can see that the family of four cares deeply about each other but remains cold-hearted to those who work for them. Through employment and a clear display of hierarchy, these workers are seen as being of an inferior class in comparison to the family, which holds more wealth and therefore, power. Magical realism is employed to comment on classism in Indian society. The treatment of the thematic concern reveals that it is often overlooked because it is normalised, but not normal. It also touches on colonialism with English being spoken only amongst the family members and Hindi being spoken with the working staff.

The production design done by Juhi Aggrawal Reddy was outstanding as the visuals were so breathtaking that it left audiences in awe of the Himalayas. Additionally, the VFX of the fireflies in the final shot created a lasting impression, leaving viewers in a state of wonder long after the credits.

Although it was a very meaningful story, it was not smoothly told. For instance, the shift in narration between characters was occasionally confusing. Additionally, the subplot of the daughter and the meditator did not seem to contribute much substance to the plot. While it underscores the divide between their backgrounds as the reason they cannot be together, perhaps the daughter's character should have been treated like the sons, subtle but still present and meaningful. The son’s role was contributive as he asked questions and showed curiosity about the things the audience was wondering. 

This film is an ideal family watch and I would recommend it to those who are interested in expanding their Bollywood film watchlist. Raam Reddy definitely stands out as a unique independent filmmaker in Indian cinema with his unique and thought-provoking storytelling style.

All screenings of The Fable have concluded at this year’s SGIFF.