Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Vivek Agnihotri was left “devastated” after watching Vinod Kapri’s Pyre, praising the film’s portrayal of love, loneliness and migration. Kapri responded to Agnihotri’s heartfelt note, saying his words about the film “mean a lot” to him and that it meant a great deal to see someone connect with the story of its elderly protagonists.
Agnihotri shared his reaction after watching Pyre (Chita), which is set in the Himalayas and follows an ageing couple living in a remote village. Calling it a love story on the surface, he said the film explores much more beneath it, including loneliness, migration, memory and the passage of time.
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“Devastated. That’s the word. I watched @vinodkapri’s PYRE () and came out carrying a strange silence within me,” Agnihotri wrote.
He also praised Kapri’s decision to cast two people in their 80s from Kumaon, along with local villagers, rather than relying on conventional actors.
“The casting is extraordinary. Two real people, both 80+, from Kumaon, surrounded by local villagers. No performance. Just life unfolding in front of the camera,” he wrote.
Agnihotri further highlighted the film’s visual treatment, particularly its Himalayan setting. He said the rain-soaked mountains, cinematography and soundscape make the viewer feel present in the isolated landscape.
“The monsoon-soaked mountains, the cinematography and the haunting soundscape make you feel as if you are there, beautiful, isolated and unbearably lonely,” he added.
Vivek Agnihotri on Pyre’s themes
At the heart of Pyre is the relationship between an elderly couple, Padam Singh and Tulsi, who live in an increasingly empty village in Uttarakhand. As younger residents leave the mountains in search of opportunities in cities, the couple is left behind to deal with old age and isolation.
The film looks at the impact of migration on families and the emotional cost of villages gradually losing their younger generations. The couple’s dependence on each other becomes central to the story as they face the realities of ageing and their fear of being left completely alone.
Agnihotri connected the film’s themes to the experience of families dealing with migration and ageing parents.
“If you have ageing parents, or have ever understood what migration does to families, carry a box of tissues,” he wrote.
He ended his note by saying that Pyre continued to affect him even after he had left the theatre.
“Some films end when the credits roll. Pyre came back with me. To haunt me,” Agnihotri wrote, before adding, “Brilliant. Must watch.”
Vinod Kapri responds to Vivek Agnihotri
Kapri responded to Agnihotri’s post and said his words meant a great deal to him, particularly because the filmmaker had connected with the central characters and the emotions beneath their relationship.
“‘Some films end when the credits roll. PYRE came back with me. To haunt me.’ These words by you after watching PYRE () means a lot,” Kapri wrote.
“When someone connects so deeply with Aama and Bubu’s story, and feels the loneliness, silence and pain beneath their love.. you know the film has travelled beyond the screen,” he added.
Kapri also thanked Agnihotri for watching the film “with such an open heart” and writing about it.
Pyre, written and directed by Kapri, features real-life villagers Padam Singh and Heera Devi in the central roles. The film was made with a focus on authenticity, with its Himalayan setting and non-professional cast forming an important part of its storytelling.
Kapri has drawn from his own connection with Uttarakhand for the film, which explores the emotional impact of migration, isolation and ageing in the region.
Pyre is scheduled to release in cinemas soon.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
