Richie Mehta's upcoming film Phoolan, based on the life of Phoolan Devi, received a standing ovation at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2026. The film was screened on Wednesday evening as part of the festival, with the audience applauding the team after the screening.
The Hindi action drama stars Sneha Kumari as Phoolan Devi. Anurag Thakur, Vikram Pratap Singh, Aakash Dahiya, Prateek Pachouri and Dev Dutt Budholiya also feature in important roles. The film was announced during Prime Video's slate announcement in March. However, its release date has not been revealed yet.
Phoolan receives standing ovation at TIFF 2026
Reacting to the film's world premiere, writer-director and producer Richie Mehta said in a statement, "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. 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. From Poacher to Phoolan, Amazon MGM Studios has been a true creative collaborator, one that backs a filmmaker's vision and gives stories like these the global canvas they deserve. To witness the audience at TIFF rise to their feet, visibly moved, tells me that Phoolan's story has connected in exactly the way we hoped it would. I hope I have done justice to her voice and her story, the way she wanted the world to know.”
It must be noted that the world premiere of Phoolan was attended by the film's cast and creative team. Apart from Sneha Kumari, the cast members include Anurag Thakur, Aakash Dahiya, and Vikram Pratap Singh. They were also joined on the red carpet by the film's crew members, including writer-director-producer Richie Mehta, and producers Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kanwal Kohli, Kishor Arora of Namah Pictures and Shilangi Mukherji, Director & Head of SVOD Business, Prime Video, India, representing Amazon MGM Studios, India.
Phoolan: All about the movie
The film is based on Phoolan Devi's autobiography, "I, Phoolan Devi: The Autobiography of India's Bandit Queen published by Editions Robert Laffont'. It is written and directed by Richie Mehta and produced by Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kishor Arora, Kanwal Kohli, and Richie Mehta under Namah Pictures.
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