banditqueenI’ve got a new movie review over on Cinema Retro. “Bandit Queen” (1994). No, it’s not a western, as the title might lead you to believe. It’s a film from India by director Shekar Kapur about the legendary Phoolan Devi. She was sold by her father for a cow to a thirty year old man who raped, beat and abused her. She ran away, was captured by bandits, and eventually became a leader of one of the bandit gangs.

She became a legend and even held a seat in Parliament, only to be assassinated by a member of a higher caste. It’s a strong, very hard hitting story. And though it sounds like something from the 19th century, Devi died at age 37 in 2001! You can read the review here.

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