New Delhi, Nov 24: National Award-winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri’s latest Hindi film “Pyre” has bagged the Audience Award at the 2024 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
The Uttarakhand-set film, billed as a melancholic ballad of an undying love in a dying land, was the only Indian entry in the Official Competition category of the prestigious film gala, held annually in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn.
According to the festival organisers, the audiences of the 28th edition voted “Pyre” as their favourite.
The Hindi film is inspired by a true story of an elderly couple that Kapri met in 2017 in Munsyari, a village affected by migration in Uttarakhand. The couple’s bond left a deep impact on him, prompting him to make “Pyre”.
For “Pyre”, Vinod Kapri cast two local residents, Padam Singh, a retired Indian Army soldier, and Hira Devi, a farmer, neither of whom had ever acted in a film before. Both hail from Berinag Tehsil in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district.
Winning an award at the film festival was nothing short of a dream, said Kapri.
“It’s like a fairytale. I never imagined that I would make a movie with two elderly non-actors, who come from a village. And that film will be selected for the main competition of this festival and ultimately win an award,” the filmmaker told PTI.
“It’s surreal and a moment of joy for all of us. It is a big day for Indian cinema and shows us that we just have to tell our stories and not look at names of the actors working in a film. We just have to notice their talent,” he added.
Composer Mychael Danna, who won an Academy Award for Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” in 2012, has scored the music for “Pyre”. German editor Patricia Rommel, known for her work on “The Lives of Others” and “The Tourist”, is part of the crew as well.
Legendary Indian lyricist Gulzar also contributed to the film by penning a song.
Kapri and his wife, Sakshi Joshi, have produced the movie independently through Bhagirathi Films.
Post its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights festival, “Pyre” will begin its festival circuit. The filmmaker plans to release the movie in India at the end of 2025. (PTI)
