English Literature – Cinema ☆ Film Review – Human Stories – PYRE – चिता ☆ Shri Jagat Singh Bisht ☆

🏔️When the mountains become lonely, even love struggles to survive…

🎞️A remarkable film by Vinod Kapri | A story of ageing, migration, loneliness and a love that refuses to die.

There are films that entertain us. There are films that move us. And then there are films that quietly enter our hearts, sit there for a while and refuse to leave.

Pyre – चिता belongs to the third category.

I recently watched this remarkable film. When I walked out of the cinema hall, I found myself unusually quiet. The film had ended, but something within me was still watching it. I needed time to return to the world outside.

What had I just witnessed? A film? A slice of life? Or the painful reality of thousands of elderly people living in remote villages, slowly watching their world disappear?

Let me take you through my experience.

🌄 An opening that takes your breath away!

The film opens with a scene that is both dramatic and deeply disturbing.

An old man, Bubu (Padam Singh), takes his elderly wife, Amma (Tulsi, played by Hira Devi), to the edge of a mountain cliff. Looking down at the river far below, he suggests that they should jump and bring their difficult lives to an end.

But Amma has other priorities!

She refuses. She has to return home and prepare food.

What a beginning! What an extraordinary way to introduce two characters and the world they inhabit.

There is despair, frustration and an almost unbearable sense of helplessness. Yet, there is also a touch of innocent humour in Amma’s response. Even death has to wait until the household chores are finished!

The opening establishes the emotional landscape of the film. The magnificent mountains, the frightening isolation and the everyday struggles of an ageing couple come together in a powerful cinematic moment.

The photography is outstanding. The drama is intense, but never artificial. The camera does not merely show us the mountains. It makes us feel the loneliness hidden behind their breathtaking beauty.

And then begins a journey that is difficult to forget.

❤️ Bubu and Amma – Two extraordinary performances!

If the opening scene catches your attention, the two principal characters soon capture your heart.

Bubu and Amma are played by Padam Singh and Hira Devi. Neither is an established film actor. Both are ordinary people from the hills. Yet, what performances they deliver!

I cannot imagine anyone else playing these roles with such natural ease.

They do not seem to be acting. They seem to be living their lives before us. Their movements, expressions, conversations, quarrels and little moments of affection are so natural that, after the first few minutes, we forget that we are watching a film.

We begin to identify with them. We share their loneliness, poverty, helplessness and despair. We also laugh at their innocent, child-like humour.

Their relationship is particularly touching. They quarrel, tease each other and sometimes get irritated. But beneath all this is a deep bond of companionship. A lifetime spent together has made them almost inseparable.

And that is where the film scores a major emotional victory.

The story behind their selection is equally fascinating.

Director Vinod Kapri had first encountered an elderly couple near Munsiyari in 2017. Their real-life circumstances gave him the idea for the film. He initially tried to persuade that couple to act, but eventually abandoned the attempt.

He then found his uncle, Padam Singh, who had some experience performing in village Ramleelas. There is an interesting account of how the uncle practically announced himself as the hero at a family birthday gathering!

Finding Amma was another challenge. Kapri travelled from village to village in search of the right woman for the role. He finally found Hira Devi, a local woman known for her lively sense of humour. Her son had to persuade her to accept the assignment.

The most remarkable part is that the characters seem to have entered their performers’ hearts.

Hira Devi reportedly found it particularly difficult to shoot the final portions of the film. Some dialogues about losing one’s children and certain traditional customs made her deeply uncomfortable. She could not easily separate herself from Amma.

Think about it. When an actor begins to experience the character’s emotions so deeply that it becomes difficult to perform a scene, you know that something extraordinary is happening.

Padam Singh and Hira Devi deserve every bit of recognition that has come their way. Their performances are the soul of Pyre.

👏 Hats off to both!

🏔️ A village that slowly disappears!

The setting of the film is another character in its own right.

We see a remote village in the Kumaon hills. There are mountains, rain, mist, narrow paths, scattered houses and a handful of people. Goats move around the house as naturally as members of the family.

There is no artificial glamour. No unnecessary decoration. No attempt to romanticise village life.

The camera captures the surroundings with extraordinary sensitivity. The natural beauty of the hills is there, but so are the difficulties of living in them.

The village is gradually emptying. Young people have left in search of work and better opportunities. Their houses are locked. Neighbours are disappearing. The social fabric that once supported village life is slowly falling apart.

Bubu and Amma are among those left behind.

Their only son has been away in Mumbai for nearly three decades. They continue to wait for him. A letter brings a sudden ray of hope. The possibility of his return gives them something to look forward to.

And suddenly, ordinary life acquires a new meaning.

There is one particularly touching aspect of their existence. Bubu has to depend on the kindness of neighbours whenever Amma falls ill. He takes a goat along when he visits a doctor in a nearby town. The animal becomes a form of payment for medical help and assistance.

This is not an invented cinematic device. It comes from the real experience that inspired the film.

Kapri once met an elderly man in the Munsiyari region who kept around forty goats. He told the director that whenever somebody helped him take his wife to a doctor, he would give that person a goat.

When asked what he would do when the goats ran out, his answer was deeply moving: before the goats ran out, they themselves would be gone.

That one conversation contained the entire tragedy of an ageing couple struggling to survive in a deserted village.

What a story! What an idea!

And what courage it must have taken to turn this little-known reality into a full-length feature film.

🎥 Not just a film. A living canvas.

One of the greatest strengths of Pyre is its realism.

The rains, the goats, the hills, the few remaining villagers, the difficult journeys for medical attention and the silence surrounding the house have all been captured with remarkable authenticity.

Even the smallest details matter.

Bubu’s concern for Amma, his efforts to arrange medical help, their occasional arguments and their dependence on the kindness of others reveal a world in which survival itself is a daily achievement.

The affection between the two is never presented through grand declarations of love. It emerges through small gestures and everyday interactions.

That is what makes it so powerful.

There is a scene in which Bubu takes Amma for medical attention, carrying a goat with him. The simplicity of the episode is almost overwhelming. It tells us more about poverty, healthcare, isolation and human dependence than a long lecture could.

The cinematography by Manas Bhattacharya deserves special mention. The landscape is breathtaking, but it never becomes a tourist postcard. The mountains are beautiful, yet they can also be unforgiving.

The film’s music, too, deserves appreciation. The music has contributions from Academy Award-winning composer Mychael Danna and Amritha Vaz. Gulzar has written songs for the film.

The overall effect is restrained and sensitive. Nothing seems designed merely to impress.

After a while, you stop watching a film. You begin experiencing a life.

I was reminded of the great tradition of realistic cinema associated with Satyajit Ray. Pyre has that rare quality of finding extraordinary human emotions in apparently ordinary lives.

It does not shout. It does not preach. It simply allows life to unfold before us.

And that is its magic.

🎞️ The director’s conviction – A story that had to be told!

I believe that the real hero of Pyre, apart from Bubu and Amma, is its director, Vinod Kapri.

Kapri is a journalist-turned-filmmaker. He has previously directed films such as Pihu and 1232 KMS. His experience with socially relevant subjects is evident in Pyre.

But this project required something different.

He had to recognise the extraordinary story hidden in an ordinary couple’s life. He had to travel to a remote part of Uttarakhand, understand their circumstances, develop a screenplay and find people who could bring the characters alive.

He had to convince two elderly people, who had never acted professionally, to become the central characters of a feature film.

And he had to believe that an audience in Tallinn, London, New York or Delhi would be interested in the lives of two old people living in a remote Himalayan village.

That required conviction. It required courage. Above all, it required sensitivity.

There is an interesting account of the film’s first international screening. Kapri and his team were nervous when they took the film to the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia. Would international audiences connect with a story set in a remote Indian village, featuring non-professional actors?

The response was overwhelming. People had tears in their eyes after the screening. Some stayed back to speak to the director and the actors.

The film had crossed its first major barrier.

It had established that human emotions have no geographical boundaries.

👏 The director, the two lead actors, the producers, cinematographer and the entire team deserve enormous appreciation for making this happen.

🏆 From a remote Himalayan village to the international stage!

The journey of Pyre is almost as fascinating as the film itself.

The movie had its world premiere at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in November 2024. It won the prestigious PÖFF Audience Award.

That was only the beginning.

It subsequently travelled to several international film festivals, including those in Bengaluru, Mooov, New York, London, Stuttgart, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago and Novi Sad.

Its achievements include:

🏆 PÖFF Audience Award, Tallinn, Estonia.

🏆 Jury Special Mention at the Bengaluru International Film Festival.

🏆 Audience Awards at film festivals in Spain, London and Birmingham.

🏆 Best Feature Film Grand Jury Award at Stuttgart, Germany.

🏆 Recognition in several other international festivals for its direction, performances and storytelling.

The lead actors also received recognition for their performances, including nominations at the New York Indian Film Festival.

The official film listing of the International Film Festival of Kerala records its international festival journey and honours, including Best Film, Best Director, Jury Special Mentions and Audience Awards.

By November 2026, reports indicated that the film had won more than 18 international awards.

Quite an achievement for a film about two elderly villagers, played by people who had never been professional actors!

🇮🇳 A journey that is gathering momentum in India

There is another interesting chapter in the story of Pyre.

Its journey among Indian audiences began with relatively small screenings and festival appearances. It reached audiences in places such as Verinag, Srinagar and Bageshwar, followed by towns across Uttarakhand, including Haldwani, Almora and Dehradun. Delhi and the National Capital Region also became important stops.

Gradually, the film began attracting wider attention.

It was released in Indian cinemas on 30 October 2026. Its theatrical journey has not been without difficulties. Like many independent films, it faced the challenge of securing and retaining cinema screens.

Interestingly, the audience response has been encouraging.

According to a report published on 12 November, screenings in Delhi increased substantially after the initial release. The film had reached approximately 355 theatres at one stage. Even after its screenings were reduced, many shows were reportedly running at high occupancy.

There was good news for its supporters. More than 200 additional shows were announced across India from 13 November.

The film had also crossed the reported box-office collection of ₹2.5 crore. Its US and UK theatrical release was announced for 11 December 2026. The makers have also submitted it for consideration at the Academy Awards and BAFTA.

This is encouraging news.

An independent film, without the usual commercial machinery, is finding its audience through the strength of its subject and the power of its storytelling.

An idea whose time has come cannot be stopped!

💭 What is Pyre really trying to tell us?

Let us look beyond the story of Bubu and Amma.

Pyre is not merely about an old couple waiting for their son. It is about a much larger social reality.

It raises several questions that deserve our attention.

What happens to elderly parents when their children migrate to distant cities?

Who looks after them when they fall ill?

What happens when the village school closes, the shops disappear, the neighbours leave and the nearest medical facility is miles away?

What happens to people who have spent their entire lives in the mountains, but find themselves increasingly abandoned by the world?

Uttarakhand has been witnessing migration from its remote hill villages for decades. Young people leave in search of education, employment and better living conditions. Their departure is understandable. They have their own dreams and aspirations.

But what about those who remain behind?

Their homes may still stand. Their fields may still be there. The mountains may look as beautiful as ever.

Yet, the life that once made those villages vibrant gradually disappears.

Pyre brings this reality before us without turning it into a political speech or a documentary lecture.

It also reminds us of something equally important.

Old age is not simply about physical weakness. It is about emotional dependence, companionship, dignity and the need to feel wanted.

A person may have lived for eighty years, raised a family and contributed to society. But when the evening of life arrives, even the smallest act of kindness can become precious.

Bubu and Amma quarrel, laugh, complain and care for each other. Their companionship is their greatest possession.

They may have very little, but they have each other.

And perhaps that is the most beautiful message of the film.

❤️Love does not always express itself through beautiful words. Sometimes, it is simply about staying together and looking after each other when life becomes difficult.

The title, Pyre, carries its own symbolism. A funeral pyre represents the finality of life. Yet, the film is not merely about death. It is about the desire to live, the fear of being left alone and the human instinct to keep going despite overwhelming difficulties.

It is, in its own quiet way, a celebration of survival.

🌟 My final thoughts – An experience that stays with you!

I have watched many films over the years. Some have entertained me. Some have impressed me with their performances and technical excellence.

But Pyre has given me an experience of a different kind.

It is a film of the genre of Satyajit Ray and other masters of realistic cinema. It reminds us that great cinema does not necessarily need famous stars, expensive sets, spectacular action or elaborate dialogues.

Sometimes, two elderly people, a few goats, a deserted village and a beautiful mountain landscape are enough to create a masterpiece.

The performances of Padam Singh and Hira Devi are unforgettable. Their innocence, natural humour, helplessness and affection make them appear like people we have known all our lives.

Vinod Kapri deserves special appreciation for recognising this extraordinary story and bringing it to the screen with such passion.

The cinematography, the setting, the music and the understated treatment of human emotions all contribute to the film’s impact.

Of course, this is not a conventional commercial entertainer. It moves at its own pace. It allows silences to speak. Those looking for constant action and dramatic twists may find it slow.

But if you are willing to sit back and enter the world of Bubu and Amma, you will discover something deeply moving.

☺️And now, let me share something about my own experience.

As the film ended, the audience did not immediately rush out of the hall. People remained seated while the closing credits rolled.

There was an unusual stillness.

When we finally stepped out, I found myself in a deep, almost meditative state. We were quiet. There was little conversation. We seemed to need some time to absorb what we had just witnessed.

The film had left us with many emotions and questions.

How many Bubu and Ammas are living in remote villages across our country?

How many elderly parents are waiting for a telephone call, a letter or a visit from their children?

And how often do we take the companionship of our loved ones for granted?

I came away with a renewed appreciation of the simple things in life. A little care. A little affection. Someone to talk to. Someone who will stand beside us when we need help.

Isn’t that what happiness and human relationships are ultimately about?

🌍Pyre is not a regional film. It is a film with a global heart.

Its language and setting may be rooted in Uttarakhand, but its emotions belong to the entire world.

It speaks of ageing, loneliness, migration, love, dignity and the struggle to survive. These are universal human experiences.

I have no hesitation in calling it one of the most memorable films I have watched. Its impact will remain with me for a long, long time.

I sincerely hope it reaches audiences across India and the world. It deserves to be watched, discussed and remembered.

Some films end when the lights come on.

Pyre continues long after we leave the cinema hall.

❤️ A standing ovation for Bubu, Amma, Vinod Kapri and the entire team of Pyre!

🎬 Do watch PYRE – चिता. It is not just a film. It is an experience of life itself.

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