Canadian filmmaker Richie Mehta returns to the big screen with Phoolan, a survival thriller that zooms in on a single, terrifying episode from the life of India’s most famous female outlaw. The Hindi-language film made its world premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 16, 2026, at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Starring theatre actor Sneha Kumari in her feature debut, the film is backed by Amazon MGM Studios and Namah Pictures, and will stream globally on Prime Video after its festival run. Here is everything you need to know about the movie, from its real-life background to its cast and release plans.
What Is Phoolan About
Based on Phoolan Devi’s 1997 autobiography, I, Phoolan – The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen, the film covers a brutal 48-hour siege in 1981 when more than 2,000 armed police and paramilitary personnel surrounded a village in the Chambal region to capture her. She was 17 years old at the time.
The official synopsis describes the film as the story of an impoverished teenage girl who became one of the most famous outlaws in Indian history and the target of thousands of heavily armed men sent to kill her. The film is described as a survival thriller that breaks away from the usual action movie style.
Richie Mehta explained why he chose to focus on this specific moment rather than telling her entire life story. “Telling her entire life story in one film wasn’t feasible given its scope,” he said. “Narrowing the frame to the siege let me explore power, systemic inequality and resistance without compressing decades of biography into a single narrative.”
Who Stars in Phoolan
The film features a cast of mostly fresh faces, led by Sneha Kumari as Phoolan Devi. Kumari is a theatre actor from the Bundelkhand region and makes her film debut with this role. Her mother tongue is Bundelkhandi, the same dialect spoken in the film.
Anurag Thakur plays a police constable named Vijay, a character that Mehta says was based on accounts from villagers who remembered the siege. Vikram Pratap Singh plays Vikram Mallah (also known as Mastana), Phoolan Devi’s partner and protector. Aakash Dahiya, Prateek Pachori, and Dev Dutt Budholiya round out the main cast.
Casting director Mukesh Chhabra and his team searched central India for months before finding Kumari. “We were blown away by Sneha for many reasons,” Mehta said. “She had the spirit, in a way. And she obviously had a cultural knowledge that all of us lacked, since she is from Jhansi.”
Richie Mehta on Why He Almost Said No
The Emmy-winning creator of Delhi Crime was not immediately interested in the project. Producers at Namah Pictures – Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kishor Arora, and Kanwal Kohli – approached him after Delhi Crime with the rights to Phoolan Devi’s autobiography. Mehta’s first reaction was to turn it down.
“I am a man, a non-resident Indian. I didn’t see the relevance and connection to me telling the story,” he told Scroll. “But the producers persisted and persisted.”
The turning point came after reading the book, which he called “harrowing.” A conversation with his mother revealed that his grandparents were originally from the Chambal region and later moved to Punjab. “When I did read the autobiography, I was moved and devastated,” Mehta said.
A Different Approach from Bandit Queen
Comparisons to Shekhar Kapur’s 1994 film Bandit Queen, starring Seema Biswas, are unavoidable. Mehta welcomes them. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that film,” he said. “My discovery of her began in that film.”
Mehta later worked with Seema Biswas on his own feature directorial debut, Amal. He said his reason for not simply repeating that film’s approach is generational. “I don’t believe today’s audiences would seek that film out on their own,” he explained.
The film’s violence is spoken, never shown. “I felt very strongly that it would cross an ethical line if I were to depict these things,” Mehta said. He also made it clear he did not want to present Phoolan Devi as a victim. “I did not set out to show her as a victim, because I don’t believe she was a victim. I think she was somebody who found agency, hope, optimism, somehow compassion.”
Release and Streaming Details for Global Audiences
Phoolan premiered at TIFF 2026 on September 16 at 6 PM ET at the Princess of Wales Theatre. The film runs for 112 minutes and is in Hindi.
For audiences in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and around the world, the film will be released globally on Prime Video after its festival run. An exact streaming date has not been announced.
The 51st Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 10 to 20, 2026, in Downtown Toronto. Phoolan was part of the festival’s Special Presentations section, alongside new titles from filmmakers like Pedro Almodovar, Danny Boyle, and Hirokazu Kore-eda.
The film is produced by Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kishor Arora, Kanwal Kohli, and Richie Mehta under Namah Pictures, in association with Amazon MGM Studios. The screenplay is written by Richie Mehta and Anu Singh. Cinematography is by Pip White, editing by Beverley Mills, and music by Andrew Lockington.
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Quick Facts About Phoolan
- Director: Richie Mehta (Delhi Crime, Poacher, Amal)
- Lead Actor: Sneha Kumari as Phoolan Devi
- Supporting Cast: Anurag Thakur, Vikram Pratap Singh, Aakash Dahiya, Prateek Pachori, Dev Dutt Budholiya
- Language: Hindi
- Runtime: 112 minutes
- Based On: I, Phoolan – The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen (1997)
- Production Companies: Namah Pictures, Amazon MGM Studios
- World Premiere: September 16, 2026, at TIFF
- Streaming: Prime Video (global release after festival run)
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