Vinod Kapri’s Pyre will release in cinemas across India on October 23, bringing its story of ageing, migration and family separation to audiences at home after an extensive international festival run. Cinepolis is distributing the film, which has won 18 international awards, including 15 Best Film honours, according to its makers.
Set in a remote village in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region, Pyre follows an elderly couple as their children move away in search of opportunities. Their world grows smaller, but their long relationship remains at the centre of the film. Kapri presents migration through the daily lives of parents left behind and the quiet bond between two people who have spent decades together.
The filmmaker cast Padam Singh Kapri, 80, and Heera Devi, 70, despite neither having acted on camera before. Padam Singh, a retired Army man, plays a character who shares his name. Heera Devi, a homemaker and former dancer, plays Tulsi. Kapri has said he wanted people with lived experience of the world portrayed in the film, allowing their silences and emotions to shape the performances.
Pyre’s festival journey and awards
Shot entirely in Uttarakhand, Pyre premiered at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and won its POFF Best Film Audience Award. It subsequently travelled to festivals in São Paulo, Cambridge, Bath and Kerala, among other locations. The makers say Kapri also received Best Director honours in Serbia and Boston, while the film earned recognition for its music, cinematography and sound.
That festival journey has built interest in a film centred on a small, intimate story. Its setting places the couple within a community affected by migration, while their relationship gives the narrative its emotional focus. The October release will be the first opportunity for many Indian viewers to see the film in a theatre.
Music and the India theatrical release
The film’s music is composed by Mychael Danna, whose credits include Life of Pi, Monsoon Wedding, Little Miss Sunshine and Moneyball. Gulzar has written the lyrics. Their contributions add to a production that brings an internationally recognised creative team to Kapri’s Kumaon story.
For Pyre, the India release marks a new stage after its festival screenings and awards. Viewers can see the film in cinemas from October 23 and meet its two first-time lead performers in a story about the distance migration creates within families and the companionship that endures at home.
