‘Phoolan’ Review: A Fierce, Human Portrait Of India’s Bandit Queen

Richie Mehta is among the Indian diaspora’s finest feminist and humanist filmmakers, and his latest film, “Phoolan”, brings those sensibilities to the popular crime drama and thriller genre. The result is a gripping, deeply human portrait of a teenage Dalit girl who refuses to submit to a system built to oppress her. The film received a thunderous standing ovation at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this month, where it screened in the Special Presentations section.

Based on “I, Phoolan Devi: The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen”, “Phoolan” inevitably enters territory already explored by Shekhar Kapur’s acclaimed 1994 film “Bandit Queen”. But Mehta takes a markedly different approach. Rather than attempting a conventional cradle-to-grave biopic, he zeroes in on Phoolan’s youth, vulnerability and extraordinary courage, centering the story around an intense 48-hour siege in which 2,000 heavily armed police surround her village with orders to shoot her on sight.

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The circumstances that led Phoolan there are staggering. Married off at 11, kidnapped and gang-raped at 16, she became one of India’s most wanted figures at just 17. A Dalit woman who endured repeated caste discrimination and sexual violence, Phoolan later led a murderous assault on upper-caste men in revenge, served time in prison and, after her release, entered politics and became a Member of Parliament. She was assassinated in 2001.

Mehta’s greatest strength is his control over this extraordinary material. His Phoolan is introduced not as a hardened outlaw, but as a sweet, matter-of-fact teenager who reveals that rape has already been a recurring part of her life. Yet beneath that vulnerability is a fierce desperation for justice, coupled with the intelligence and nerve required to outmanoeuvre a vast police operation.

The film’s screenplay and direction, credited to Phoolan Devi, Richie Mehta and Anu Singh, turn that contradiction into its greatest source of power. There is something exhilarating about watching a rural teenage Dalit girl command a gang of men considerably older than her. Phoolan is also portrayed as a kind of Robin Hood figure, returning land deeds illegally seized by landlords to the poor people from whom they were taken.

Importantly, Mehta does not reduce the world of Phoolan to simple heroes and villains. Even some of the film’s most compromised figures are given moments of humanity. One of the film’s biggest cheers comes when a figure of authority discovers Phoolan in hiding but responds not with violence, but with respect and admiration.

As with much of Mehta’s work, the larger social realities are woven organically into the personal story. Caste, class, corruption and water scarcity all inform the world around Phoolan, while compassion remains at its emotional core. The film begins and ends with Phoolan immersed in water, an image that evokes both vulnerability and a larger, nurturing spirit.

Much of the film’s emotional force rests on Sneha Kumari, a newcomer from Jhansi who is magnificent as Phoolan. She gives the character an arresting mixture of innocence, anger and resolve, making her transformation into a formidable leader feel both startling and believable. Anurag Thakur and the ensemble cast provide strong support, while Pip White’s cinematography, Beverley Mills’ editing and the sound work of Siddharth Dubey and Rhitwik Raj Pathak deepen the film’s immersive quality.

The film also represents a notable creative collaboration behind the camera, with women playing key roles across its production and creative departments. Producers Shareen Mantri Kedia and Shilangi Mukherji, writer Anu Singh, cinematographer Pip White, editor Beverley Mills and costume designer Smriti Chauhan are among the women who helped shape Phoolan. Produced by Namah Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios, the Amazon Original is expected to stream soon. It is a film worth seeking out.