Phoolan Devi -II, the real life heroine all set to roll

Sometime next week, she will write history when the camera begins to roll.

Seema Parihar, Uttar Pradesh's (UP) most famous bandit queen after the legendary Phoolan Devi, is all set to enact her own real life role on the silver screen and become, perhaps, the first outlaw in the world to do so.

"I live life by my rules. I want people to know that in these ravines it's my word that matters," the 38-year-old bandit queen said.

Seema, who carried an award of Rs50,000 on her head and was wanted in 29 criminal cases before she finally surrendered in December 2000, is now out on bail from Etawah jail.

"I have been acquitted in 15 cases and only 14 cases remain and I am sure they will be cleared soon by the fast track court," she says and adds, "I never applied for any bail on my own. It was my film director who went to court and payed my bail so that I could shoot for the film."

The film, titled Wounded, is being directed by Krishna Misra and stars Seema Parihar playing herself.

While a major part of the film has already been shot, portions featuring the bandit queen will be canned from next week. The film is poised for an October release. A group of drama enthusiasts from the National School of Drama comprise the rest of the cast.

Seema has just undergone a crash course in acting and has no inhibitions about facing the camera. "She is perfect in the violent and action scenes and needs rehearsals only for the emotional sequences," says Misra.

Seema, according to her own admission, was kidnapped by the dreaded dacoit Lalaram and his paramour Kusuma Nain way back in 1983 and has lived in the ravines ever since.

"I was first married to Nirbhay Gujjar and then to Lalaram. I even have a five-year-old son, Sagar, from Lalaram. In 2000, Lalaram was killed in a police encounter and after about five months, I decided to surrender. My son stays with my parents in Aurraiya.

"Through this film I want people to know that women are exploited even in the ravines and not a single female dacoit has been allowed by the male counterparts to take revenge against those who traumatised her or troubled her in society," she explains. Clad in a crisp yellow salwar kurta, Seema is also looking towards a career in films. "If this movie becomes hit, I will accept roles in the film industry ," she insists and adds that her favourite stars include Rani Mukherjee ("what a fabulous voice") and Sunjay Dutt who is an absolute "'pataka' (fantastic) in Munnabhai MBBS."

But doesn't Seema miss the ravines where her word was law? "No my word runs here and it's respected there. What did you think? That I was just showing off," she thunders with a glint in her eyes. She happily delves into the past and comes up with anecdotes from the ravines.

"Salim Gujjar's gang has nine women – two of them are educated and hail from Delhi. Nirbhay Gujjar has two women. Most of these women have been kidnapped from their homes and sold in the ravines. Like me they all know how to shoot .303 rifle. In the ravines we do not have a problem. We get get everything – CD, DVD, TV – whatever we want," she says.

Seema has seen portions of Bandit Queen, but disliked the film. "It was too stark and too dirty. I have clearly told my director that I will not permit any body exposure in the film and my story will not be allowed any cinematic licence," she says.

And does she wish to follow Phoolan Devi's footsteps and walk into politics? "I haven't really given it any thought, but it's a thought" she says candidly.

Politics and films, in any case, go hand in hand these days.

© The Asian Age