Bandar (film)

Samar Mehra is a not-so-young TV star whose fame is fading. He is a profoundly flawed man who is out of touch with changing attitudes about gender and power. He is happy in his new relationship with a young woman, Khushi, when his ex, Gayatri, tries to return to his life. He cuts off all contact and blocks her. But things take a serious turn when Gayatri accuses him of rape. He is soon arrested and faces a corrupt legal system determined to keep him in jail. Riddled with suspense and shifting alliances, this story of love, lies, and responsibility takes nothing for granted as it reshapes Samar's life.

The film is an adaptation of Anurag Kashyap's unpublished story written with two other authors, and has screenplay by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee. Principal photography of the film began on 14 May 2024 in Mumbai.^[6][13]

Bandar / Monkey in a Cage premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2025.^[14][15][4] The film was released theatrically on 5 June 2026.^[10]

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express awarded 3 stars out 5 and writes that "This is Anurag Kashyap’s strongest film in a while, its spare, scrappy style working in tandem with the story which chooses to show us a man who may not be as black as he’s painted out to be, but is not all white either."^[16] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in observes that "Although Bandar isn’t primarily meant to be a prison drama, that’s what it ends up being. The 136-minute narrative turns itself over to Samar’s plight behind bars, losing proportion, focus and balance in the bargain."^[17]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated it 2.5/5 stars and said that "The Bobby Deol film is a bit of a tangle that is hard to wrap one's head and heart around."^[18] Mayur Sanap of Rediff.com gave 3 stars out of and noted that "The greatest pleasure of Bandar is watching Bobby Deol let go of his vanity and submit himself to Anurag Kashyap's unflinching filmmaking."^[19] Sana Farzeen of India Today gave 2.5 stars out of 5 and writes that "Bandar lingers... In a haunting monologue, Samar talks about forgetting his own face inside prison and becoming a ghost."^[20]

Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and writes that "Overall, despite losing some momentum in the latter half, Bandar remains an engaging watch. It succeeds because it stays focused on the human cost of an accusation and the circus that follows. In an era where public opinion often arrives before the facts, the film feels timely and relevant."^[21] Vinamra Mathur of Firstpost also gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and said that "once Bandar ends, one gets a sense this is a film that refuses to give easy answers. If we don’t get to see the victim as much as the accused, it has less to do with the fact that the story is being told from the accused’s lens and more to do with how Kashyap revels in the ambiguity of his narratives."^[22]

BH Harsh of Cinema Express rated it 3/5 stars out of 5 and calls it "While the central premise itself is shaky, Anurag Kashyap puts his best foot forward to paint the picture of a broken man who gets further destroyed by the system".^[23] Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and writes that "This is not an easy film to watch. It is disturbing, repulsive and occasionally repetitive. Think of horror sensation ‘obsession’ in an Anurag Kashyap universe. But that discomfort is precisely the point."^[24] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave 4 stars out of 5 and praise the film writing that "Bandar is messy, overstuffed and occasionally frustrating. Yet it is also fearless, thought-provoking and fiercely acted. In an era increasingly dominated by safe storytelling and formulaic entertainment, director Anurag Kashyap deserves enormous credit for making a film that embraces discomfort and uncertainty."^[25]