'' Bandit Queen '' is a 1994 Indian biographical film based on the life of Phoolan Devi as covered in the book '' India 's Bandit Queen : The True Story of Phoolan Devi '' by the Indian author Mala Sen. It was directed by Shekhar Kapur and starred Seema Biswas as the title character . The music was composed by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan . The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi , Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie and Best Direction for that year . The film was premiered in the Directors ' Fortnight section of the 1994 Cannes Film Festival , and was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival . The film was selected as the Indian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy Awards , but was not accepted as a nominee
1994 Cannes Film Festival
1994 Cannes Film Festival
Bandit Queen