In Phoolan, director Richie Mehta brings the story of Phoolan Devi to life, specifically the 48-hour period where the rebel-turned-politician is being hunted by Indian police as a teenager. Her backstory is uncovered through flashbacks, peeling back layers that explain how and why a 17-year-old has those in authority so rattled.
After enduring years of abuse, Phoolan (Sneha Kumari) gets recruited into a rebel group where she travels through towns and villages providing her justice to those who have been wronged by men in power. Eventually, she is trapped in a village by police who scour all ends of it before eventually giving up when she successfully evades them.
Phoolan Devi’s life is almost too dramatic to believe, which makes for great material for a work of fiction. Still, Mehta masterfully executes telling her story, keeping its intensity so that the film holds your attention, but handling it with care so that we feel for her, root for her, and are inspired by her courage. The cinematography for the film is stunning, juxtaposing the serene beauty of the land with more fast paced action shots of the people on it.
It’s hard not to love this film as a woman. Seeing stories of abuse taken seriously enough for tougher consequences to take place, especially on behalf of people who have no one else fighting for them, is honestly incredibly satisfying.
Phoolan is reminiscent of a Robin Hood-type story, giving time to the stories of other people who have faced injustice and highlighting just how much of a hero Phoolan is to them. The film preserves Devi’s legacy, and more than that, serves as a call for society to remember where it came from so that it prevents cycles of abuse from continuing.
Phoolan is playing at TIFF ’26. For more information, click here.
