80-year-old who lives alone in a ghost village in Uttarakhand is an unlikely film heroine | India News – Times of India

PITHORAGARH: Hira Devi, 80, is an unlikely film heroine from one of Uttarakhand’s ghost villages, Gadtir, where several houses lie vacant due to migration. The octogenarian, who is illiterate and has lived most of her life in the mountain village, recently got the chance to star in ‘Pyre’, a film inspired by a story similar to hers, which opened on Tuesday (November 2015) in world premiere. 19) on the 28th Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festival in Estonia.
When she was invited to attend the festival, Devi had one concern: to leave her constant companion, her buffalo, behind as there is no one in the village to take care of him.
‘Pyre’, produced by filmmaker Vinod Kapri, tells a poignant love story of an elderly couple in their eighties. It is the only Indian entry to be selected in the ‘Official Competition’ category at the prestigious festival held annually in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn.
Film set 6 km away, Devi was worried about leaving the buffalo alone
The film (Pyre) is based on a true story from a village in Munsyari. Filmmaker Vinod Kapri wrote the screenplay and dialogues in 2018 after learning the story from a friend. Sudhir Rathor, a member of the production team, said they wanted to cast local villagers for the lead roles and looked around the area to see who would fit the bill.
Padam Singh, a former army man from Munsyari and a regular performer in local Ramlilas, was cast as the male lead. While looking for the female lead, Kapri met some local women carrying fodder from the forest who recommended Hira Devi for her cheerful and expressive nature and her ability to sing.
Initially, Devi was hesitant to take on the role as the filming location was four miles from her home and she did not want to leave her buffalo alone for too long.
She is a widow, lives alone in the village and says her buffalo is her main companion. Her daughter is married and lives in Barani, while her two sons work in Delhi. She finally agreed after her eldest son, who knew Kapri, convinced her to go ahead.
When the film was selected for the Tallinn festival and she was asked if she could attend the premiere, Devi again hesitated, as her main concern was again the buffalo. However, at the insistence of the filmmakers, she asked her daughter to take care of it 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 world stage, happy that the animal will be well cared for in her absence.