TIFF 2026: Richie Mehta's Prime Video Drama 'Phoolan' Selected For Special Presentation

On July 21, Prime Video announced that its original movie Phoolan, written and directed by Emmy-Award-winning filmmaker Richie Mehta, has been selected for a Special Presentation at Toronto International Film Festival's (TIFF) 51st edition, which will take place from September 10 and 20, 2026.

Phoolan is scheduled to be screened at the festival on September 16 at 6PM ET, at the Princess of Wales Theatre. It is inspired by the book I, Phoolan - The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen, written by Phoolan Devi.

Devi, popularly known as the 'Bandit Queen' was an Indian dacoit who later became a politician, serving as a member of the Lok Sabha until her assassination in New Delhi on July 25, 2001.

The film centers on the story of a 17-year-old Devi, who becomes one of the most talked about outcasts in Indian history. It unfolds over a 48-hour siege in which she is surrounded by an army of 2,000 armed men, ordered to kill her, in the Chambal region. The follows Devi's fights to survive the confrontation, a moment framed as a turning point in her life.

The film is produced by Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kishor Arora, Kanwal Kohli and Mehta. It is headlined by Sneha Kumari as Devi, alongside Anurag Thakur, Aakash Dahiya, Vikram pratap Singh, Prateek Pachori and Dev Dutt Budholiya in pivotal roles.

Mehta's previous works include Poacher (2018), Extrapolations (2023), India in a Day (2016), Siddharth (2013), Delhi Crime (2019 ) — which won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series and Best Direction (Fiction) — and more.