Uttarakhand locals who acted in Pyre get nominated for best actor at New York Indian Film Festival

(From left) Heera Devi and Padam Singh in the film

When director Vinod Kapri cast two villagers from Berinag Tehsil in Pithoragarh for his film Pyre, he knew it was a gamble. But today, his conviction has paid off as leads Padam Singh and Heera Devi, both of whom had never acted before, have been nominated in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories of the 25th New York Indian Film Festival Awards. "I had to pinch myself to believe it," marvels Kapri, before adding, "It's an honour for the film. That two elderly people, who have never acted before, have been nominated in the acting categories in an international festival is a validation of my conviction."

Vinod Kapri

Pyre tells the story of love and loneliness through an elderly couple, who are among the few living in a deserted village where most inhabitants have migrated to cities. Kapri cast Singh, a retired Indian Army soldier, and Devi, a farmer, in the movie. What was their reaction to their nominations? "Heera Devi was cutting grass for her buffaloes when I told her she was nominated, and she said, ‘Woh kya hota hai?' Padam Singh asked me whether a nomination implied a prize. When I explained how big an honour it was, he said, ‘Ab toh gaon main meri izzat aur bhi badh jayegi,'" grins the director.

Interestingly, Naseeruddin Shah, the original choice for Pyre, convinced the director to cast unknown faces. Kapri recalls, "Naseer saab and Ratna Pathak Shah had agreed to play the leads. But Naseer saab called me a week later and suggested that I cast local villagers, something I had been toying with. He convinced me to hunt for locals."