Bandit Queen

"Revenge was her reply."

1994 1h 59m HI

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 66

ActionCrimeDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Born a lower-caste girl in rural India's patriarchal society, "married" at 11, repeatedly raped and brutalized, Phoolan Devi finds freedom only as an avenging warrior, the eponymous Bandit Queen. Devi becomes a kind a bloody Robin Hood; this extraordinary biographical film offers both a vivid portrait of a driven woman and a savage critique of the society that made her.

“Revenge was her reply.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Seema Biswas
Phoolan Devi
Nirmal Pandey
Vikram Mallah
Rajesh Vivek
Mustaquim
Raghubir Yadav
Madho
Aditya Srivastava
Puttilal
Manoj Bajpayee
Man Singh
Ranjit Chowdhry
Shiv Narain
Harish Kumar
Tarika

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shekhar Kapur
Writers: Mala Sen
Languages: Hindi
Countries: India, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

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International production across 2 countries: India, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shekhar Kapur, shot by Ashok Mehta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Renu Saluja shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Seema Biswas and Nirmal Pandey and Rajesh Vivek carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Revenge was her reply.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0109206 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shekhar Kapur directs. Ashok Mehta behind the camera. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan scores. Renu Saluja cuts. Produced in India, United Kingdom. Dialogue in Hindi.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

132 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: India, United Kingdom.
3Directed by Shekhar Kapur, shot by Ashok Mehta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Renu Saluja shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Seema Biswas and Nirmal Pandey and Rajesh Vivek carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Revenge was her reply.".
8IMDB entry: tt0109206 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 66 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "guerrilla warfare", "1970s", "biography", "poverty".