Honey Trehan is set to direct a sequel to Shekhar Kapur’s 1994 cult film Bandit Queen, with producer Bobby Bedi backing the project. Titled Bandit Queen, MP, the film will pick up Phoolan Devi’s story from where the original ended, following her life after she walks out of prison.
Bedi revealed details about the project in a recent interview, saying, “It’s about a woman who comes out of jail, marries, wins three elections and then gets shot. The second film begins where the first film ends. It is titled Bandit Queen, MP.”
Trehan is best known for his work as a casting director, having collaborated with filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj on several acclaimed films, including Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey and Haider. He eventually made his directorial debut with the 2020 Netflix crime thriller Raat Akeli Hai, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte. He returned with its sequel, Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, and also directed Panjab ’95, starring Diljit Dosanjh as human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. The film faced a prolonged certification battle, with the CBFC reportedly seeking 127 cuts. After remaining stalled for nearly three years, it was released on ZEE5 on July 3, 2026, under the title Satluj, but was taken down within 48 hours.
Bedi, meanwhile, is one of the notable producers associated with Indian independent cinema. He made his feature film debut as a producer with Electric Moon (1989) and went on to back films such as Deepa Mehta’s Fire, Shaad Ali’s Saathiya and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool. He also produced Bandit Queen under his banner, Kaleidoscope Entertainment.
Released in 1994, Bandit Queen was directed by Shekhar Kapur and starred Seema Biswas as Phoolan Devi, the real-life bandit-turned-politician.
Bedi had previously explored continuing Phoolan Devi’s story through a proposed web series titled Phoolan Devi, which was announced in 2019 with Tigmanshu Dhulia as director and Tannishtha Chatterjee in the lead role. The newly announced Bandit Queen, MP marks another attempt to bring the later chapter of her life to the screen.
Further details about the sequel are yet to be announced.