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This movie tells the “true story” of Phoolan Devi, the Indian bandit queen who was arrested in the state of Uttar Pradesh in 1983 for kidnapping and murder and was freed in 1994 because of a change in government. As a young girl she questioned the caste restrictions around her, is married at 13 but leaves the village and her marriage in search of independence. As a young woman she is captivated by Vikram, a bandit gang member. His gang kidnaps and rapes her, Vikram kills the leader and assumes leadership with Devi. Vikram is eventually killed in a dispute over leadership after SriRam returns from prison. Initially Devi is driven by seeking vengeance over the death of her lover, but after being gang raped by SriRam in her own village she is seeking revenge for herself. This culminates in the Behmai Massacre of February 1981. Cast includes Seema Biswas, Nirmal Pandey and Govind Namdeo.
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Stream, rent or buy via
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
308184
Language
Hindi
Audience classification
R (18+)
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Biographical films
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Folklore - India
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Village communities - India
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Kidnapping
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Rape
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Women - Crimes against
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Caste - India
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → India - Social conditions
Feature films → Feature films - India
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Revenge
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)