Vinod Kapri's Pyre, led by two first-time actors, hits theatres on October 23

National Award-winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri is bringing his Hindi film Pyre to theatres across India on October 23, 2026. The film arrives after a long festival run and a big awards haul: 18 international awards, 15 of them for Best Film.

Pyre is set in the mountains of Uttarakhand. It follows an elderly couple whose world has shrunk to their home, their shared memories and each other. Their children have left to find better opportunities, and the couple spend their days quietly waiting for them. The story looks at how migration changes the bond between parents and the children who move away.

The lead pair is what makes the film stand out. Kapri cast two local residents, Padam Singh and Heera Devi, and neither had ever acted before. Padam Singh is a retired Army soldier. Reports say the two leads are 80 and 70 years old.

Kapri has called Pyre a love story on two levels, between two people who have spent their whole lives together, and between parents and their children. He said he wanted the story told by people who had lived that life themselves, and he called finding his two leads extraordinary. In his words, their relationship, their silences and their emotions brought a truth that conventional actors could not have recreated.

The film has won Best Film honours in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Canada, Spain, Boston, Stuttgart, London and Birmingham, plus Best Director awards in Serbia and Boston. It has also been recognised for its music, cinematography and sound. The film reportedly had its world premiere at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it won an audience award.

Mychael Danna, the composer known for Life of Pi, wrote the music, and Gulzar wrote lyrics for the film. Kapri produced it with Suresh Joshi and Arindra Rai Chaudhuri under the Bhagirathi Films and Mashakbeen Studios banners. Cinepolis, which earlier released Hanuman Ansh, is handling the theatrical release.