Bandit Queen (1994)

100% of critics liked it
(25 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(3,158 ratings)

Bandit Queen, based on the true story of legendary female warrior Phoolan Devi, is a confrontational epic that paints a far different picture of India from other arthouse productions. Devi (Seema Biswas) is married at age 11, abandoned by her husband when she resists his advances, and turned into a… More Bandit Queen, based on the true story of legendary female warrior Phoolan Devi, is a confrontational epic that paints a far different picture of India from other arthouse productions. Devi (Seema Biswas) is married at age 11, abandoned by her husband when she resists his advances, and turned into a social outcast who, at one point, is gang-raped by the upper-caste men of one village. She later gets her revenge by organizing a massacre that leaves 20 villagers dead. Devi ultimately leads a band of latter-day Robin Hoods on bold raids against landowners in Central India during the late '70s and early '80s, often taking their spoils and redistributing them to poor tenant farmers. By the time she is arrested in 1983, Devi has become a folk hero, especially to the women who live in rural India's brutally patriarchal society. A full-fledged commercial production, handsomely produced and directed by talented Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (who emerged from the country's vaunted "Bollywood" system), Bandit Queen painfully exposes a controversial aspect of Indian culture, while providing a triumphant portrait of female empowerment. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 1 min.
Directed By: Shekhar Kapur
Written By: Mala Sen
Genres: Documentary, Drama, Art House & International

In Theaters: Jun 30, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Dec 7, 2004
Studio: Hallmark Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
This is an eye-filling and often stirring movie.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
An astonishing, overpowering piece of rabble-rousing, consciousness-raising, epic-scale filmmaking.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Seema Biswas is convincing in the role: small, fierce, dark-eyed and indomitable.
John Hartl, Film.com
At the center of the movie are two fine actresses who make Phoolan's unsettled character seem inevitable.
Tonia Steed, Film.com
This film's a relentless right hook.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
To watch the film -- directed with eye-opening vigor by Shekhar Kapur -- is to vicariously experience the social horrors of India's patriarchal system.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Lavishly directed as an historical biopic by Shekhar Kapur.
Jim Hall, Film4
In comparison with most of the Indian cinema that breaks through to the Western mainstream, Bandit Queen stands out for its political attitude and willingness to take on Hollywood sensibilities in its storytelling.
Anna Smith, BBC
Russell Brand is, for once, well cast in the role of vague, vain singer Aldous, who's also the object of obsession for a waiter and aspiring musician in the Hawaiian resort.
David Jenkins, Time Out
The numerous, unflinchingly filmed scenes of public and gang rape make this a visceral, if gruelling, experience, especially when juxtaposed with sprawling, beautifully photographed vistas of the Indian deserts and mountain ranges.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
Seema Biswas' lock on our fascination and sympathies is unreleasable, making for a most powerful film from India.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Kapur misses an opportunity to strike an even more resonant note for feminism. Still, this is an entertaining and exciting film
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
Although the "Bandit Queen" is a film loaded with violence and hatred, it is also an affirmation of the durability of the human spirit.