National Award -winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri’s film Pyre, which follows the lives of an elderly couple in the Kumaon Himalayas, is set to release in cinemas across India on October 23, 2026.
Pyre had its world premiere at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it won the PÖFF Best Film Audience Award. It has since been screened at several international film festivals, including the São Paulo International Film Festival, Cambridge Film Festival, Bath Film Festival, Fajr International Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Kerala.
The film stars 80-year-old Padam Singh Kapri and 70-year-old Heera Devi, both of whom are making their acting debut with the project. The film has won 18 international awards, including 15 Best Film awards, according to the makers. The two actors are from Uttarakhand and had never faced a camera before working on the film. The film also looks at how migration affects families, particularly the relationship between parents and children who live away from their hometowns. “PYRE is ultimately a film about love, between two people who have spent their lives together, and between parents and their children. I wanted to tell this story through two people who had lived that life themselves. Finding Padam Singh ji and Heera Devi ji was extraordinary. Their relationship, silences and emotions brought a truth to the screen that conventional actors could never have recreated. Padam Singh Kapri, who plays Padam Singh in the film, is a retired Army man, while Heera Devi, who plays Tulsi, is a homemaker, widow and former dancer. It has also received Best Director awards in Serbia and Boston, along with recognition for its music, cinematography and sound.
Speaking about casting the two lead actors, director Vinod Kapri, as per a release, said that their real-life experiences helped bring a natural feel to the story.
