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Phoolan Devi's biopic to premiere at TIFF 2026
21 Jul 2026

The upcoming Hindi film Phoolan, directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Richie Mehta, will have its world premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The movie is inspired by I, Phoolan - The Autobiography of India's Bandit Queen and chronicles a significant period in the life of notorious Chambal dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi.

It will later be released on Prime Video.

More about the film and its cast
Screening details

Phoolan will be screened on September 16 at the Princess of Wales Theatre as part of the Special Presentations section.

The film is produced by Kishor Arora, Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kanwal Kohli, and Mehta under Namah Pictures.

It stars Sneha Kumari in the lead role with Anurag Thakur, Vikram Pratap Singh, Prateek Pachori, Aakash Dahiya, and Dev Dutt Budholiya in supporting roles.

Devi's life was earlier fictionalized in 'Bandit Queen'
Past portrayal

Devi, popularly known as "Bandit Queen," was a cultural icon in India during the '80s and '90s.

Her life from a bandit to an MP was chronicled by Shekhar Kapur in the controversial film Bandit Queen (1994).

The film starred Seema Biswas as Devi, with Nirmal Pandey, Aditya Srivastava, Gajraj Rao, Saurabh Shukla, Manoj Bajpayee, and Raghuvir Yadav in supporting roles.

It won three National Film Awards, including Best Actress for Biswas and Best Hindi Feature Film.