Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's new film 'Monkey in a Cage', also called 'Bandar', made its global debut with a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2025 (TIFF) on Sunday. The movie that sheds light on the complicated connection between the Indian prison system and the #MeToo movement was screened in the special presentation category.
The film 'Bandar' tells the story of a superstar who is accused of rape. The film sheds light on the injustice present in the system, the voices suppressed in the courtroom and the truth of the deeply flawed legal system.
Is Bandar based on true events?
Talking about the film, Anurag Kashyap said on the TIFF 2025 stage that the idea of this film came from a true incident, but they had to work in very difficult circumstances. 'You don't know who is right and who is wrong, as it's difficult to strike a balance in the story. New laws were being misused on a large scale. There were cases where a woman filed eight different cases in eight different police stations with the help of a lawyer and a policeman,' Anurag said on Sunday.
The filmmaker further added that 'Bandar' started taking shape when producer Nikhil Dwivedi gave Anurag Kashyap a newspaper article based on a real case. 'One case has really disturbed me. It's about a man who came out of jail after 32 years and was declared innocent. But his case was never brought to light. In this way, his whole life was ruined. People speak many languages in a jail; our actors spoke Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Marathi. In this way, the jail itself becomes a symbol of a divided, misunderstood country,' Anurag said.
Bandar has a deeper meaning
Anurag explained the plot of his film and concluded by saying, 'This film is not to prove anyone innocent or wrong. It is about the shortcomings that are in our legal system, about the silence of people in the court, and about those who disappear inside it.'
Bandar cast and makers
Famous director Anurag Kashyap, who has made great films like 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'Black Friday' and 'Agli', is using his different art of storytelling in this new film. Bobby Deol, who is currently at new heights in his career, is in the lead role in the film. Along with him, Sanya Malhotra, Saba Azad and Sapna Pabbi are also in the lead roles. The film is produced by Nikhil Dwivedi. At the moment, the release date of 'Bandar' has not been announced.
