New Delhi: A new film on Phoolan Devi is set to premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival on 16 September as part of the prestigious Special Presentations lineup. Directed by National Award-winner Ritchie Mehta, Phoolan, stars Sneha Kumari as Devi, alongside Anuraag Thakur, Vikram Pratap Singh and Aakash Dahiya.
The film is heavily inspired by her autobiography, I, Phoolan Devi: The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen (1996). In the book, Devi recounts the trauma of her child marriage, the caste discrimination she experienced, and her journey to becoming the Bandit Queen. Production company Namat Pictures acquired the rights to the book, with Prime Video backing the production.
The film will focus on how Devi became an outlaw, particularly the 48 hours during which the 17-year-old was surrounded by nearly 2,000 men from a village who tried to harass and kill her. It follows her journey as she outwitted and survived the armed mob determined to take her life.
In 2020, the animated series Culottées also explored Devi’s life. The series tells the stories of women who rewrote history through their courage and determination. Episode 16 focuses on Devi’s struggles. The episode was directed by Charlotte Cambon and Phuong Mai Nguyen, with Cécile de France lending her voice to the character.
The upcoming film is produced by Bobby Bedi, who also produced Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen (1994). More than three decades after backing one of Indian cinema’s most acclaimed films on Phoolan Devi, the film was based on Mala Sen’s 1991 biography Bandit Queen: The True Story Of Phoolan Devi. Sima Biswas played Devi, with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan composing the music for the film. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. However, it was not the first adaptation of Devi’s life; the 1985 Kannada film Khaani Phoolvati Ki, directed by Ashok Roy, where Rita Bhaduri first portrayed Devi, starring opposite Joy Mukherjee.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)