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Richie Mehta’s Phoolan Earns Standing Ovation at TIFF Premiere
Phoolan is a new Hindi action film written and directed by Richie Mehta.
It tells part of Phoolan Devi’s life and is based on her autobiography.
The story focuses on a dangerous 48-hour siege.
Sneha Kumari plays Phoolan Devi.
The movie was shown for the first time at the Toronto International Film Festival.
More than 2,000 people watched the screening at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
The audience stood and applauded after the film ended.
The movie is expected to become available soon on Prime Video in India and many other places.
Richie Mehta’s Hindi action drama Phoolan received a standing ovation at its world premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.
More than 2,000 people attended the screening in TIFF’s Special Presentation section at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre.
Sneha Kumari stars as Phoolan Devi, with Anurag Thakur, Vikram Pratap Singh, Aakash Dahiya, Prateek Pachouri and Dev Dutt Budholiya also featured.
Based on Phoolan Devi’s autobiography, the film focuses on a brutal 48-hour siege involving an armed group of 2,000 men.
Phoolan will premiere soon on Prime Video in India and more than 240 countries and territories.
- Who
- The film was written and directed by Richie Mehta and stars Sneha Kumari as Phoolan Devi, alongside Anurag Thakur, Vikram Pratap Singh, Aakash Dahiya, Prateek Pachouri and Dev Dutt Budholiya.
- What
- Phoolan, an Amazon Original Hindi action drama, received a standing ovation at its world premiere.
- Where
- The screening was held in the festival’s Special Presentation section at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto.
- When
- The premiere took place during the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.
- Why
- Mehta said he wanted to portray Phoolan Devi’s story honestly, strip away mythology and highlight themes of resilience, dignity and finding one’s voice.
Key facts
- Film
- Phoolan
- Writer and director
- Richie Mehta
- Lead performer
- Sneha Kumari as Phoolan Devi
- Festival
- 51st Toronto International Film Festival
- Festival section
- Special Presentation
- Venue and audience
- Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto; more than 2,000 attendees
- Source material
- I, Phoolan Devi: The Autobiography of India's Bandit Queen
- Upcoming release
- Prime Video in India and more than 240 countries and territories
Quotes
Shilangi Mukherji
Director and Head of SVOD Business at Prime Video India
“Phoolan Devi’s story is one that demands to be told with honesty, and without compromise. I was drawn to a very specific chapter of Phoolan’s life, the formative years before the world knew her name, contrasted with the period where she was a misunderstood legend. It felt essential to me to strip away the mythology and reveal the human underneath.”
wionews.com
telegraphindia.com
“The themes at the heart of her story — resilience in the face of adversity, the search for dignity, and the courage to claim one's own voice —are timeless. They resonate just as strongly today as they did then, across cultures and geographies. That is why this felt like the right moment to bring her story to the screen.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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