Pithoragarh: As Uttarakhand grapples with mass migration from its several parts leaving houses abandoned and old people deserted, an 80-year-old woman Hira Devi played a main lead in a movie based on migration showing plight of old people left behind in the deserted houses of Ghost villages.
A resident of a ‘Ghost village’ Gadtir in Pithoragarh district, Hira Devi received an invitation for world premiere of her movie ‘Pyre’ on 19 November at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festival in Estonia, but she worries about her only companion, her buffalo, as there will be no one to look after her buffalo in her absence.
Hira Devi worries over leaving behind her buffalo
Produced by filmmaker Vinod Kapri, ‘Pyre’ movie narrates a touching love story of an elderly couple in their 80s who are living in a Ghost village situated in Pithoragarh district. It stands as the sole Indian entry in the ‘Official Competition’ category at the prestigious annual festival in Tallinn, Estonia. When the movie’s lead actress, Hira Devi, received an invitation to attend the festival, she faced one major concern: leaving behind her only companion, her buffalo, as there was no one in the village to care for it.
Filmmaker wanted to cast local villagers for the lead roles
Narrating a heart-wrenching story of an elderly couple living alone in a deserted village, the film (Pyre) is inspired by a true tale from a village in Munsiyari. Filmmaker Vinod Kapri wrote the screenplay and dialogues in 2018 after listening to this story from a friend. To present the true plight of elderly people, he wanted to cast local villagers for the lead roles. In this movie, the male lead is played by Padam Singh, who is a former Army man from Munsiyari and a regular performer in local Ramlilas. While locals recommended Hira Devi’s name for her cheerful and expressive nature and ability to sing.
Hira Devi, reluctant to play this role, refused this offer worrying about leaving buffalo alone
Initially, Devi was hesitant to take on the role since the filming location was 6 km away from her home, and she didn’t want to leave her buffalo alone for too long. A widow living alone in the village, she considers her buffalo her primary companion. Her daughter is married and lives in Barani village, while her two sons work in Delhi. She finally agreed after her elder son, who knew Kapri, convinced her to go ahead.
Hira Devi left for Tallinn to represent the film on the global stage
When the film was selected for the Tallinn festival and Devi was invited to attend the premiere, she hesitated once again, primarily concerned about her buffalo. However, with persuasion from the filmmakers, she asked her daughter to care for the buffalo in her absence. On Sunday, after her daughter arrived in the village, Devi, along with Kapri and Padam Singh, left for Tallinn to represent the film on the global stage, reassured that her beloved animal would be well cared for in her absence.
