HT Exclusive: Vinod Kapri on casting an 80-year-old Army veteran and a 70-year-old woman with no acting experience as Pyre's elderly lead couple
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
National Award-winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri 's search for the lead actors of Pyre took several years, countless auditions and a few unexpected turns. He had considered actors such as Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, and even tried making the movie with the real-life couple who inspired the story. But the faces he was looking for eventually came from two rather unexpected places.
Adding to this, Vinod Kapri's Pyre features Padam Singh Kapri, 80, and Heera Devi, 70, both first-time actors from Uttarakhand. Set in Uttarakhand's Kumaon region, Pyre tells the story of an elderly couple whose children have left their village in search of better opportunities. With no one else around, the two are left to navigate old age, loneliness and the changing life of their mountain home. The movie looks at migration through the lives of parents who stay behind while the younger generation moves away.
Meanwhile, Pyre features Padam Singh Kapri, 80, and Heera Devi, 70, both first-time actors from Uttarakhand. Padam, a retired Indian Army serviceman, plays a character named after himself, while Heera takes on the role of Tulsi. The movie has won 18 international awards and is produced by Vinod Kapri, Suresh Joshi and Arindra Rai Chaudhuri under Bhagirathi Films and Mashakbeen Studios. It rolled out in theatres across India on October 30 in Hindi and Malayalam.
Notably, In conversation with Hindustan Times, Vinod looked back at the unusual journey that brought his two lead actors on board. One was discovered during his father's 80th birthday celebration, while the other came into the picture during a stop on a village road.
As per the latest buzz, The idea for Pyre took shape in 2018, when Vinod met an elderly couple in Munsyari, Uttarakhand. He spent close to two hours talking to them and recorded their conversation on his phone. Their bond left a lasting impression on him, and he initially felt they should play themselves in the movie. He even spent eight to 10 days shooting with them, hoping to bring their story to the screen. However, the experience soon made him realise that their real-life chemistry alone was not enough to carry the movie.
In further updates, "That was my first attempt to make this movie with them and but I failed miserably because we went there unprepared and they don't even understand they don't have even understanding of cinema or camera or acting or anything. I realized that should look for more mature actors," he shared.
On top of that, Vinod then began searching for elderly actors from the Himalayan region who could bring a natural understanding of the setting, its culture and language to the story. He auditioned more than 50 to 60 people over the next two years, but none seemed right for the roles. After struggling to find his lead pair, he eventually approached Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah.
Vinod shared the script with Naseeruddin after star Vishal Bhardwaj helped connect them. Both Naseeruddin and Ratna liked the story and were keen to be part of the movie. However, the Main Vaapas Aaunga star had a question about whether they would be able to do justice to characters so deeply rooted in the region. “He was so candid about movie and a story and he shared you know we really wanted to do this movie and we don't want to leave this movie because this is such a beautiful script but I have one concern do you think that we belong to that place and do you think we both of us can do justice to this movie just think about it,” Vinod recalled.
Source: Hindustan Times