THE STORY – In the heartland of India, a young Phoolan Devi becomes one of the most famous outlaws in Indian history and the target of 2,000 heavily armed men sent to kill her over a grueling 48-hour siege.
THE CAST – Sneha Kumari, Anurag Thakur, Vikram Pratap Singh, Aakash Dahiya, Prateek Pachouri and Devdutt Banodiya
THE TEAM – Richie Mehta (Director/Writer) & Anu Singh (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 113 Minutes
Some figures have lives far too substantial to be encapsulated in a single film. It’s probably why most biopics falter under the weight of the lives they dramatize. That’s why, in recent years, we’ve seen a rise in this type of film that centers only a certain period of the subject’s life. There’s less riding on the shoulders of the filmmaker, with far more focus on the story they’re trying to tell instead of delivering audiences the typical footnotes of a person’s life that a simple scroll on Wikipedia could do in a fraction of the time. Luckily for filmmaker Richie Mehta, he not only understands this notion, but also gets that, at the end of the day, the film still needs to entertain the audiences who come out to see it.
His latest feature, “Phoolan,” tackles a seminal moment in the life of prolific revolutionary Phoolan Devi, a young Indian woman whose abusive adolescence as a member of the Mallah subcaste eventually pushed her to become one of the country’s most infamous figures. Mehta and co-writer Anu Singh primarily structure the film around Phoolan’s harrowing story of when, in 1981, she fought through a siege of over two thousand police officers who had come to kill her and her men. While “Phoolan” opens with Sneha Kumari as the titular character, showing her fiery resistance to the patterns of behavior standard in her culture, audiences are soon thrown into the chaos of the Chambal region. A swath of police officers soon storm the land and displace locals in hopes of subduing Phoolan. Bullets are spraying everywhere; bodies hit the floor. Yet those in the village remain silent in solidarity with someone who embodies all their frustrations with a system that has impoverished them.
Singh and Mehta’s screenplay frames the film around this singular event in Phoolan’s life, often interjecting flashbacks when she reflects, usually in the rare moments she can catch her breath amid the manhunt she’s the target of. “Phoolan” over time builds up Phoolan’s growing aggravation with the caste system, primarily with how this institutionalized patriarchy has only punished her and those she loves. These moments let Kumari bring a simmering intensity to the character through her performance, and even in silence, she speaks volumes. Kumari also delivers physically demanding work, as the modern timeline the story centers on is one long cardio session: Phoolan is constantly running, shooting, and evading the police, just trying to stay alive for a second longer.
The film’s narrative does display an opposing perspective as the narrative occasionally bounces to a jaded police officer whose eye only opens to the pain the police are willing to inflict on their own people to send a message with the eradication of Phoolan and her men. It’s a nice touch that the screenplay fully conveys how rotten the system Phoolan is trying to topple is and how her ideals won over supporters. Mehta’s direction is exceptional, creating a steady flow of tension that builds through tightly wound shootouts that never feel exhausting over the film’s almost two-hour duration. Beverley Mills’ editing is top-notch, as she and Mehta perfectly pace this endurance race of a thriller. Pip White’s cinematography adds another layer of immersion, depicting the carnage with visual ferocity. The handheld camera work is well balanced, and we never feel like we’re missing anything major in the action.
The supporting ensemble behind Kumari is wonderful, helping build the world and the people who shaped her into the influential figure she became. Those who are familiar with Devi’s life or other cinematic depictions of The Bandit Queen most likely won’t be as roused by “Phoolan,” as the film is centered around a will-she-won’t-she make it out of a scenario that feels more like a suicide mission. Thankfully, Mehta shows more comparable direction, hooking audiences from the film’s opening moments and never letting their attention wander till the film’s final moments. A common sign of a good biopic is not only leaving viewers amazed by the story of the depicted subject, but also sparking curiosity that makes them eager to learn more. “Phoolan” certainly clears that bar, along with being one of the most interesting discoveries at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
