National Award-winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri’s Pyre will release theatrically across India on October 23, 2026. Set in a remote village in the Kumaon Himalayas, the film explores the relationship between parents and children separated by migration, through the story of an elderly couple who have spent a lifetime together.
Produced by Vinod Kapri, Suresh Joshi and Arindra Rai Chaudhuri under Bhagirathi Films and Mashakbeen Studios, Pyre stars debutants Padam Singh Kapri, 80, and Heera Devi, 70, in the lead roles. Both actors are from Uttarakhand and are facing a camera for the first time. Padam Singh, who plays Padam Singh, is a retired Army man, while Heera Devi, who plays Tulsi, is a widow, homemaker and former dancer. Their real-life experiences informed their performances in the film.
Speaking about the film, director Vinod Kapri said: “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.”
Pyre had its world premiere at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it won the PÖFF Best Film Audience Award. It subsequently screened at festivals including the 49th São Paulo International Film Festival, 44th Cambridge Film Festival, 35th Bath Film Festival, 43rd Fajr International Film Festival and 30th International Film Festival of Kerala.
The film has won 18 international awards, including 15 Best Film awards, with honours at festivals in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Canada, Spain, Boston, Stuttgart, London and Birmingham. It has also received Best Director awards in Serbia and Boston, as well as recognitions for music, cinematography and sound.
Pyre is distributed theatrically by Cinépolis, the multiplex chain which previously distributed Hanuman Ansh.
The film’s music is composed by Mychael Danna, known for Little Miss Sunshine, Monsoon Wedding, Life of Pi and Moneyball, with lyrics by poet and lyricist Gulzar.