Home / Arts and Entertainment / Anurag Kashyap's 'Bandar' Premieres at TIFF 2025, Spotlights India's Prison System
Anurag Kashyap's 'Bandar' Premieres at TIFF 2025, Spotlights India's Prison System
8 Sep
Summary
- 'Bandar (Monkey In A Cage)' premiered at TIFF 2025
- Film inspired by true story of rampant misuse of laws and wrongful imprisonment
- Exclusively cast actors from different Indian states to represent linguistic diversity in prisons
Anurag Kashyap's latest film 'Bandar (Monkey In A Cage)' had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 5th, 2025. The film, which features actor Bobby Deol in a lead role, was part of the festival's Special Presentations programme, celebrating the best of Canadian and global cinema.
In a recent interview, Kashyap revealed that the idea for 'Bandar' came from a true story, though the team had to navigate "very thin lines" to bring the narrative to life. The director explained how the film sheds light on the rampant misuse of new laws, with cases of women filing multiple cases in different police stations with the help of lawyers and policemen.
To authentically represent the linguistic diversity found in Indian prisons, the film's cast was exclusively drawn from theatre groups across different states, including Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, and Marathi actors. Kashyap emphasized the importance of this approach, stating, "In a prison, people speak all kinds of languages."
'Bandar' also features Sanya Malhotra, Saba Azad, and Sapna Pabbi in key roles. The director's upcoming action-thriller 'Nishaanchi' is scheduled to release on September 12th, 2025.
