Richie Mehta’s latest film Phoolan, based on the early life of legendary bandit queen Phoolan Devi, received a warm response at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film was applauded by the audience and also received a standing ovation following its screening.
The Indian production presents a focused chapter from Phoolan Devi’s teenage years, taking viewers into a tense 48-hour period when she is surrounded by law enforcement agencies in the Chambal region.
Unlike Shekhar Kapur’s 1994 film Bandit Queen, which explored a much wider part of Phoolan Devi’s life, Mehta has chosen to concentrate on a single intense episode. The director, known for his work on Delhi Crime, described the approach as a more intimate way of looking at the circumstances surrounding the young Phoolan.
Mehta grew up in Mississauga in the Greater Toronto Area before moving to India. The TIFF premiere therefore carried a personal significance for the filmmaker, who presented the movie with an entirely Indian cast and crew.
The film was inspired by I, Phoolan Devi: The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen, published in 1996. Mehta initially considered developing the material as a series. However, while working through the book, he found that many parts of Phoolan’s experiences were extremely difficult to portray on screen.
The director eventually focused on the chapter describing the siege. He felt that the two-day episode could be presented as an intense combat-style film while still allowing younger audiences to understand the circumstances and oppression surrounding the teenager.
Newcomer Sneha Kumari plays the young Phoolan Devi. Originally from Jhansi, Kumari has a background in theatre and had not previously appeared in a feature film. She secured the role after submitting an online audition.
For Kumari, taking the character to an international festival was a major milestone. She said that although she knew about Phoolan Devi as a historical figure, she had to research the details of her life and the cultural context surrounding her character.
Mehta also praised the debutant actor for bringing cultural and linguistic understanding to the role. Her familiarity with the region and its nuances helped her connect with aspects of the character that the filmmaker said would have been difficult for him to access himself.
TIFF director of programming Robyn Citizen described the film as a close-up look at Phoolan Devi’s legend and her ability to think strategically. However, rather than attempting to tell her entire life story, the film remains tightly focused on one defining period.
The positive response at Toronto gives Phoolan an early international platform while introducing audiences to a different cinematic interpretation of one of India's most discussed historical figures.
With its limited timeframe, intense setting and performance by a first-time lead actor, the film takes a deliberately focused approach to Phoolan Devi’s story rather than attempting to cover her entire journey.
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