Shekhar Kapur Slams Amazon Prime for Altering Bandit Queen Without Permission

Bollywood veteran director Shekhar Kapur has criticized Amazon Prime Video for cutting scenes from his film without his permission. His 1994 film Bandit Queen, based on the life of Indian dacoit Phoolan Devi, received critical acclaim. Seema Biswas played the role of Phoolan Devi, and some scenes were objected to by the censor board, leading to bans in certain regions. The film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, but Kapur discovered that many scenes had been removed, prompting him to express his frustration on social media.

Shekhar Kapur stated that the version of Bandit Queen streaming on Amazon Prime Video is unrecognizable and not the film he made. He was shocked to see that his film was censored without his knowledge. He questioned whether Hollywood films or Christopher Nolan’s movies would be cut without the director’s approval. Kapur recalled the effort put into editing the film alongside Renu Saluja and was disappointed that someone had edited it carelessly to suit their needs. Director Hansal Mehta also commented on the issue, expressing his disappointment over the treatment of Indian films.

Bandit Queen is based on the real-life story of Phoolan Devi, who was born in 1963 in a poor family in Uttar Pradesh. Married at the age of 11, she suffered physical and mental abuse from her husband and later faced sexual exploitation by upper-caste Thakurs. Unable to bear the injustice, she became a bandit and, in 1981, led a major attack in Behmai village, killing 20 Thakur men. Her actions made headlines, and in 1983, she surrendered to the police. After serving 11 years in prison, she entered politics and was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Samajwadi Party. However, in 2001, she was assassinated. The film strongly highlighted caste discrimination and the struggles faced by women in society.

I wonder @IAmSudhirMishra if OTT platforms would let me make #BanditQueen the way I made it years ago. The Bandit Queen on #AmazonPrime is unrecognisable from my film. Someone has cut it beyond recognition. And yet it carries my name as Director. And no one asked me! Are we… https://t.co/LoYtkddlvp

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) March 18, 2025