Richie Mehta’s Phoolan will have its world premiere in the Special Presentations section of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film is scheduled to screen on 16 September at the Princess of Wales Theatre during the festival, which runs from 10 to 20 September.
Written and directed by the Emmy-winning filmmaker behind Delhi Crime and Poacher, Phoolan is inspired by I, Phoolan: The Autobiography of India’s Bandit Queen. Rather than telling the story of Phoolan Devi’s entire life, the film focuses on a tense 48-hour period in which the 17-year-old bandit is surrounded by nearly 2,000 armed men and must fight to survive.
The film stars Sneha Kumari as Phoolan Devi, alongside Anurag Thakur, Vikram Pratap Singh, Aakash Dahiya, Prateek Pachori and Dev Dutt Budholiya.
Phoolan is produced by Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kishor Arora, Kanwal Kohli and Richie Mehta under the Namah Pictures banner. Following its festival premiere, the film will stream globally on Prime Video.
The selection marks Mehta’s return to TIFF a decade after India in a Day screened at the festival in 2016. Phoolan joins this year’s Special Presentations line-up, one of TIFF’s flagship sections showcasing major international premieres.
