Richie Mehta’s Phoolan, a film based on the life of former bandit and politician Phoolan Devi, received a standing ovation at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Wednesday.
The Amazon original was screened in the festival’s Special Presentation section at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre. The screening was attended by a packed audience of more than 2,000 people, who applauded the film at the end of the presentation.
Phoolan stars newcomer Sneha Kumari in the title role. She was joined at the festival by cast members Anurag Thakur, Aakash Dahiya and Vikram Pratap Singh. Writer-director-producer Richie Mehta also attended the premiere along with producers Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kanwal Kohli and Kishor Arora of Namah Pictures. Shilangi Mukherji, Director and Head of SVOD Business at Prime Video India, represented Amazon MGM Studios.
The film explores a defining period in Phoolan Devi’s life and focuses on the experiences that shaped her before she became widely known. According to the filmmakers, the story centres on a 48-hour siege involving an armed group of around 2,000 men.
Mehta said he wanted to approach Phoolan Devi’s story without relying on the mythology surrounding her public image. He said the film attempts to explore the person behind the legend and focuses on themes including resilience, dignity and the struggle to find one’s own voice.
The filmmaker also said the audience response at TIFF was meaningful for the team and expressed hope that the film had represented Phoolan Devi’s story fairly.
The movie is based on Phoolan Devi’s autobiography, I, Phoolan Devi: The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen, originally published by Editions Robert Laffont.
Following its world premiere in Toronto, Phoolan is scheduled to stream on Prime Video. The streaming platform has not yet announced an official release date.
Phoolan Devi’s life has previously been depicted on screen. She became a well-known figure in Indian popular culture during the 1980s and 1990s, following her transformation from a bandit to a Member of Parliament.
Her story was portrayed earlier in Shekhar Kapur’s 1994 film Bandit Queen, which starred Seema Biswas as Phoolan. The film also featured actors including Nirmal Pandey, Aditya Srivastava, Gajraj Rao, Saurabh Shukla, Manoj Bajpayee and Raghuvir Yadav.
Bandit Queen received three National Film Awards, including Best Actress for Seema Biswas and Best Hindi Feature Film. However, the film also faced controversy around its release, with Phoolan Devi herself objecting to the portrayal.
Richie Mehta, known for projects including Poacher, has now brought another interpretation of Phoolan Devi’s life to international audiences. The standing ovation at TIFF marks the first major public response to the film ahead of its eventual release on Prime Video.
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