Actor Manoj Bajpayee has opened up about a deeply uncertain phase in his life when he almost walked away from acting. He revealed that a visit to Neem Karoli Baba's Kainchi Dham ashram in Uttarakhand became a turning point, one that he now links to both his new film Jugnuma, The Fable and to the period just before The Family Man took off. In recent interviews around the release of Jugnuma, Bajpayee revealed that before starting the film, he and director Raam Reddy decided to meet at Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram in Kainchi Dham rather than going straight to set. A restless phase and no work for a year Speaking to YouTube channel Just Too Filmy, Bajpayee said he was going through a “restless” period and seriously questioned whether he should continue in the profession at all. He recalled feeling that his “time was up” and that he should leave the industry. He also disclosed that he stayed away from work for about a year during this time. As per reports, Bajpayee shared that just before starting Jugnuma, he “didn’t work for one year” and was in an intense phase of doubt about his career and future. Crucially, he pointed out that something similar had happened earlier in his career: he was in the same mental state “just before season one of The Family Man started”, again experiencing restlessness and a lack of work for about a year before the show went on to become a defining success for him. The Kainchi Dham visit and Babaji’s cave During this low phase, when he had stayed away from film work for about a year and was on the verge of stepping back from the industry, Bajpayee and Jugnuma, the director of The Fable, Raam Reddy, visited the Neem Karoli Baba ashram at Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand. Instead of heading straight to a shooting location, the two chose to meet at the ashram. Bajpayee has described how they then went up to “Babaji’s cave,” meditated there, and experienced what he calls “magical” moments. As per interviews, he said they went to the cave, meditated, and that “some magical things happened” which both of them witnessed. As they climbed back down, they felt they had “found the film”, a clear inner sense of what Jugnuma should be and the space it needed to come from. Reports note that this visit to Kainchi Dham, the climb to the cave and the meditation there gave Bajpayee a sense of clarity and direction that had been missing during his period of confusion and self-doubt. Link to The Family Man The headline connection to The Family Man comes from Bajpayee himself. As per reports, he explained that the year-long gap before Jugnuma was not the first time he had gone through such an intense pause. He noted that just before The Family Man season one, he was in a similar state of mind: restless, unsure, and without work for about a year. Support from family and what changed Bajpayee has also spoken about how those around him reacted in that period. As per reports, he said his friends were worried about him, while his wife, former actor Shabana Raza, offered unconditional support, telling him that the family was prepared even if he decided to leave Mumbai and the industry altogether. He has said that he could not find the answers on his own, but felt that those answers were present in the script of Jugnuma, which he connected to immediately after this spiritual turning point and the visit to Kainchi Dham. From spiritual experience to screen Directed by Raam Reddy (of Thithi fame), Jugnuma, The Fable blends magical realism with themes of detachment, liberation and inner peace. As per his recent interviews, Bajpayee has indicated that the film reflects the lessons he drew from his time at Kainchi Dham, particularly around letting go of attachments and finding freedom in that process. He sees his connection to the film’s protagonist as deeply shaped by that spiritual experience, and has acknowledged that the visit to Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram helped him realign his perspective at a moment when he was seriously considering stepping away from acting.
