Bandit Queen

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Bandit Queen

1995,

2h 1m,

Drama/

Crime/

Biography

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Watchlist

96%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

This lauded Indian drama focuses on the life of Phoolan Devi (Seema Biswas), a revered criminal who eventually went on to become a politician. The film details the hardships that Phoolan faced in her youth as a female member of a lower caste. Subject to sexual abuse at the hands of numerous men, Phoolan isn't treated with respect until she falls in with a gang led by Vikram Mallah (Nirmal Pandey). Later, Phoolan forms her own gang and gains a remarkable level of notoriety across India.

Critics Consensus

Brimming with bravura spectacle and an arresting turn by Seema Biswas, The Bandit Queen is a galvanizing ode to rebellion.

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Hugo Davenport

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Mar 2, 2024

Much more than a docudrama, Kapur's uncompromising film spares the viewer very little. Yet it is the opposite of exploitative.

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Stephen Amidon

Financial Times

Mar 1, 2024

The director possesses the rare instinct for knowing just when to pull the camera away from scenes of abuse, providing them with considerable power without ever being exploitative.

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Geoff Brown

The Times (UK)

Mar 1, 2024

Bandit Queen may not be a strictly accurate rendering of Devi's life, but it treats its story responsibly to give a disturbing and exciting portrayal of an extraordinary woman.

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Philip French

Observer (UK)

Mar 1, 2024

Bandit Queen is, firstly, a lucid narrative about injustice, as exciting as a Peckinpah western and as sharply observant of rural folkways as a film of Satyajit Ray.

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Dipankar Sarkar

Vague Visages

Sep 21, 2023

One of the finest films made in India that pushes the envelope of cinematic excellence.

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Margaret A. McGurk

Cincinnati Enquirer

Aug 19, 2021

3/4

The film does not really show how she rose to icon status, but offers a passionate condemnation of the oppression of women and peasants under India's caste system.

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Poe R

Jan 14, 2018

One of the best movie ever made. A must watch.

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Shekhar Kapur

Director

Seema Biswas

Phoolan Devi

Nirmal Pandey

Vikram Mallah

Manoj Bajpayee

Man Singh

Rajesh Vivek

Mustaquim

Govind Namdeo

SriRam

Martha

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Synopsis

This lauded Indian drama focuses on the life of Phoolan Devi (Seema Biswas), a revered criminal who eventually went on to become a politician. The film details the hardships that Phoolan faced in her youth as a female member of a lower caste. Subject to sexual abuse at the hands of numerous men, Phoolan isn't treated with respect until she falls in with a gang led by Vikram Mallah (Nirmal Pandey). Later, Phoolan forms her own gang and gains a remarkable level of notoriety across India.

Director: Shekhar Kapur
Producer: Bobby Bedi
Screenwriter: Ranjit Kapoor, Mala Sen
Production Co: Channel Four Films, Kaleidoscope Pictures
Genre: Drama, Crime, Biography
Original Language: Hindi
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 30, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 10, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $42.0K
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: Surround

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