Anurag Kashyap has returned with a film that commands attention and makes a strong statement. His upcoming Hindi film Bandar, starring Bobby Deol in the lead, has quietly made its way into one of the world’s most prestigious festivals—the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film has been officially selected under the Special Presentations category, a rare honor usually reserved for bold, socially rooted cinema with global appeal. For international viewers, This movie will be known as Monkey in a Cage, and that title alone captures the emotional storm this film seems ready to unleash.
Bobby Deol’s thriller Comeback in Anurag Kashyap’s Bandar (Monkey in a Cage)
The official trailer opens with Bobby Deol sitting quietly in a prison cell—no flashy music, no dramatic editing—just raw visuals and a powerful voiceover that sets the tone for the film. The monologue uses the metaphor of a monkey in a cage, comparing silence to misunderstood weakness. “You thought my silence was a weakness,” the voice says, “but a monkey only shouts when he knows he has a voice.” This isn’t just poetic dialogue—it reflects the mental and emotional breakdown of a man who has been falsely accused, humiliated, and locked up. The trailer keeps most details under wraps, but what’s clear is that It is not about noise or action—it’s about inner conflict, trauma, and the fight to reclaim one’s voice.
TIFF 2025: A Global Stage for Bobby’s Reinvention
For Anurag Kashyap, this selection at TIFF marks a significant international milestone. His last festival entry, Kennedy, was selected to attend Cannes but has yet to receive a wide Indian release. With Bandar, the stakes are higher—not just because it’s his next film, but because this time, the leading face is Bobby Deol with Sanya Malhotra, someone who hasn’t had a platform like this in years. While Bobby made waves in Animal as the silently violent Abrar, much of his recent career has seen him stuck in South Indian projects, where his presence was utilized but never truly valued. Small cameos, side characters, and glorified extras—roles that neither did justice to his range nor gave him a chance to be considered an actor with depth.
Real-life events reportedly inspired the film, which centers on a man falsely accused of rape. Anurag has co-written it with Sudeep Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee—both known for raw, grounded storytelling (NH10, Paatal Lok, Kohrra). The result is expected to be an uncompromising look at injustice and survival.
The poster, shared by Bobby Deol on Instagram, shows him seated in a crowded jail, surrounded by buckets, clothes, and dozens of other prisoners—every detail placed to reflect lived reality, not stylized cinema. The tagline on the poster reads, “The story that should not have been told, but now it is.” That alone captures the film’s mood—something dangerous, something buried, something necessary.
For Bobby Deol, Bandar isn’t just another performance—it’s a rare opportunity to reset how the world sees him. After years of being boxed into side roles across regional films, he finally has a space built around silence, strength, and substance. This isn’t about reclaiming stardom but about reclaiming voice—just like the character he plays.
The TIFF 2025 selection underlines how seriously this film is being taken globally. With Anurag Kashyap at the helm and co-writers known for their brutal honesty, Bandar carries a quiet weight. It doesn’t shout—but it stays with you. And maybe that’s the point.
Even if the Indian theatrical release takes time, It has already started doing what it was meant to: make people listen. Not the noise, but the silence that speaks when everything else has been taken away.
