Bandar Producer Nikhil Dwivedi States His Film Is Not Against Women, It's 'Pro-Justice' - Exclusive

Directed

by Anurag Kashyap, the upcoming film Bandar addresses some weighty subjects. In the film starring Bobby Deol, the Animal actor plays an ageing TV star who is accused of rape by a former partner. The accusation turns his life upside down. Bandar's producer Nikhil Dwivedi and star Bobby were in discussion with Times Group Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar about their film, especially in light of the recent case of Twisha Sharma, a young married woman who was found dead at her Bhopal home. Her husband Samarth Singh and her mother-in-law Giribala Singh have been taken into custody amid accusations of torture and dowry demands. Dwivedi reiterated that their movie was not against women at all but wanted to examine how justice works.

Nikhil Dwivedi states his film Bandar believes in justice

While in conversation with Navika Kumar for The Newshour at 9, Nikhil shared that the script of Bandar, co-written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, was close to his heart. He said, "The subject was, and the people who got involved eventually became close to my heart."

On the program, when asked if he thought men were the wronged party, Nikhil explained, "Our film is not against women. Whatever is happening with Twisha, we have been observing too. It's unfortunate. It needs to be investigated. If there is a crime involved over there, people need to be punished. This is not an anti-women film, it's is a pro-justice film. We have to understand that nobody is saying, please don't believe women when they have been wronged." He further continued, "But you have to believe in justice as well. We want to believe in justice more than we want to believe a particular gender... that is the hallmark of our constitution, our law. This is where the principle of our democracy stands. Justice needs to prevail."

More about Bandar

The cast of Bandar also features Sanya Malhotra, Sapna Pabbi, Saba Azad, Indrajith Sukumaran, Raj B. Shetty and Jitendra Joshi. The Hindi film had its world premiere in the Special Presentations Program of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025.

The English title of Bandar is Monkey in a Cage; it has been inspired by a real-life case. Nikhil brought a story in the newspaper to director Anurag Kashyap’s attention. Bandar is also a prison drama that highlights the difficult life of inmates waiting for their cases to begin in India’s prison system.