Poster for Bandit Queen

Bandit Queen

1994, Drama/Crime, 2h 1m

24 Reviews 2,500+ Ratings

critics consensus

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

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Movie Info

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.

Genre:

Drama, Crime, Biography
Original Language:

Hindi
Director:

Shekhar Kapur
Producer:

Bobby Bedi
Writer:

Ranjit Kapoor, Mala Sen
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

Cast & Crew

Seema Biswas
Phoolan Devi

Nirmal Pandey

Nirmal Pandey
Vikram Mallah

Manoj Bajpayee
Man Singh

Rajesh Vivek

Rajesh Vivek
Mustaquim

Govind Namdeo

Govind Namdeo
SriRam

Saurabh Shukla
Kailash

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Bandit Queen

All Critics (24) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (24)

Full Review… Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader

Full Review… David Jenkins Time Out

Full Review… Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times

Full Review… Rita Kempley Washington Post

Full Review… James Berardinelli ReelViews

Full Review… Richard Corliss TIME Magazine

Full Review… Margaret A. McGurk Cincinnati Enquirer

Full Review… Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com

Full Review… Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com

Full Review… Jim Hall Film4

Full Review… Michael Szymanski International Press Academy

Full Review… Jules Brenner Cinema Signals

View All Critic Reviews (24)

Audience Reviews for Bandit Queen

Jan 10, 2009

Violent, disturbing and true. A hardcore docu-drama that doesn't pull any punches.

Randy T Super Reviewer
May 19, 2006

I could count the amount of Indian films I've seen on one hand, but I can't believe this is one of the best (as quite a few critics have stated). As a biopic it fails and frankly the gender (& class) politics are rather iffy. It really wants to be a straightforward exploitation rape/revenge romp but the arthouse pretensions tie it down. Seema Biswas delivers a solid performance and the film's not a complete loss, but it's certainly far from what it's made out to be.

J H Super Reviewer

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