Name: Phule
Genre: Biography
Released: 2025-04-25
Rating: 7.2
Cast: Pratik Gandhi, Patralekha Paul, Alexx O`Nell, Amit Behl

A biographical drama depicting the lives of Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, a couple married at a very young age who dedicated their lives to fighting for social reform and women's rights in India.

Phule

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Phule’ is, in many ways, an unflinching film that confronts some deeply uncomfortable truths about 19th-century Indian society under British rule. It portrays an era when education for the girl child was virtually non-existent, widows were subjected to rigid societal restrictions, and the Dalit community faced systemic discrimination at the hands of upper-caste Brahmins. From a cinematic standpoint, this biographical drama refrains from sensationalism. It avoids artificial narrative highs and instead opts for a grounded, realistic tone. Director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan delivers a competent effort, capturing the pioneering social reforms led by Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule. The film is a sincere, restrained tribute to India’s first and perhaps most courageous social reformers.
The story begins in 1897, with the bubonic plague sweeping through Pune, leading to a mass exodus and eventually claiming the life of Savitribai Phule (Patralekhaa). From this tragic point, the narrative shifts into flashback, taking us to Savitribai’s early years as a curious young girl being educated by her husband, Jyotiba (Pratik Gandhi). Witnessing the rampant caste oppression in his village, Jyotiba realizes that education, particularly for the girl child, is the first step toward social change. He begins by teaching children from oppressed communities, including girls. Their efforts, however, are met with fierce resistance—from upper-caste Brahmins who resort to vandalism and from Jyotiba’s own father, Govindrao (Vinay Pathak), who disapproves of his way of bringing social reforms. Undeterred, Jyotiba leaves home and, with the help of his friend Usman Sheikh and Usman’s sister Fatima, continues his mission to educate. Their movement gradually expands to include the rehabilitation of widows. While the British administration acknowledges their efforts, it offers no financial support. A determined Jyotiba sells his share of family property to keep their work alive. Later, the growing discomfort among orthodox factions leads to legal challenges.
Pratik Gandhi delivers an internalized and compelling performance as Jyotiba Phule. His portrayal is subtle and sincere, bringing a quiet intensity to the reformer’s character. Vinay Pathak, as Jyotiba’s conservative father, makes a strong impact despite limited screen time. Joy Sengupta brings authenticity to his role as the upper-caste antagonist. But it is Patralekhaa who shines the brightest—her portrayal of Savitribai is immersive and powerful, capturing the reformer’s resilience and empathy with striking clarity. The film also excels in its visual authenticity, with cinematography that convincingly recreates the textures and atmosphere of 19th-century Maharashtra.
What makes 'Phule' particularly compelling is its understated storytelling. The film avoids melodrama and instead unfolds in a natural, lived-in manner. Sequences such as the upper-caste Brahmins avoiding Jyotiba’s shadow or the courtroom exchange where Jyotiba questions a lawyer about his barber are quietly powerful, leaving an impression. The film succeeds in highlighting the extraordinary contributions of Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule in reforming Indian society. One could argue that the film might have been more aptly titled ‘Phules,’ as Savitribai’s role, if not greater, is certainly at par with that of her husband.

In one of the most heartening scenes, days before he dies, Jyotirao Phule looks up at the sky, questioning God whether his doors would open for the lower caste people. He mentions how he's seen the temple closed for him and his community all his life. While this particular sequence comes towards the end of Ananth Mahadevan's latest directorial, 'Phule', it encompasses the crux of the biographical drama.
It's heartbreaking that not many know about Jyotirao Phule and his ever-supportive wife, Savitribai Phule - the fiery revolutionaries who kickstarted the movement for women's education in India and fought for the lower caste. However, it's sadder that the first Hindi film on these great reformers ended up as a dull and uninspiring watch.

The film opens in 1897, when Pune was under the grim tragedy of the bubonic plague that killed many. Through Savitribai (Patralekha), we are transported back in time to when these visionaries began their fight against caste, patriarchy, and orthodox beliefs. And while they are challenged at every step, cow dung, stones and death threats also follow suit.
You watch in disbelief at the strength the two displayed as they took on Brahmins, their own family, and society to ensure young girls received an education. And while on the path, they also championed the upliftment of lower-caste people, supporting widows, preserving their dignity, and even digging a well in their compound so that untouchables could access water. But the film, shown in a muted colour palette, never fully takes you in with its banal storytelling.
Where the film stands out is in how honestly it portrays how religion and caste have been the biggest shackles for society to break out from. Also, as expected, women have to suffer at great extremes. The film, thankfully, is not preachy and becomes more like a mirror to the audience, showing how these beliefs have only marred the growth of any nation. When Phule talks about how India is a sensitive country and religion can be used to create a divide, you cannot help but chuckle at how we continue to be in the same position even after hundreds of years. One should probably take a leaf out of these stories to help build a better future for our next generation.

Coming to performances, Pratik Gandhi effortlessly becomes Jyotirao Phule in this biographical drama. From dialogue delivery and expressions to those powerful emotions, full marks to Pratik. The makers ensured that Savitribai's contribution to the movement is highlighted, giving Patralekhaa a chance to sink her teeth into a powerful role. She also gets one of the most powerful monologues in the film when she confronts Brahmins about seeking as much hierarchy as the British, exposing the politics of the ones in power.
As for director Ananth Mahadevan, for Bollywood fans, he may be known to have helmed a thriller like 'Aksar'; not many know he also directed Sindhutai Sapkal's Marathi biography 'Mee Sindhutai Sapkal', which earned him a National Award. The filmmaker picked a similar slow and docu-style approach for 'Phule' too. However, the two-hour-nine-minute runtime suffers from sluggish pacing, making the film drag midway. Given that it's such an inspiring story, you somehow want to stay connected, but the snail-paced screenplay makes it a weary watch. The songs and the flute-heavy background score also do not do much service to the drama.

Given how little we know of Jyotirao Phule, the first Mahatma of this country, 'Phule' definitely deserves a watch. And if you are not up for it, at least read up on him and Savitribai's radical journey. They deserve a lot more recognition, respect, and glory. And just like Phule looking to the heavens for answers, perhaps it’s time we look into our own history with the same hope - that someday, stories like theirs are told with the fire they lit.

A pitch-perfect Pratik Gandhi performance underwires the intrinsic authenticity of Ananth Narayan Mahadevan's Phule. But more than anything else, it is the abiding pertinence of the film's theme that sets it apart from anything that Bollywood has delivered, or is likely to produce, this year.

Phule has its share of dramatic flourishes, but it lets nothing deflect it from its resolve to bring to the big screen an essential story that is still as relevant as ever, notwithstanding a card at the end of the film (obviously at the behest of those with the power to decide what we can and cannot watch), proclaiming that the caste system is a thing of the past.
Employing unflashy but largely effective plotting devices, the film written by Mahadevan and Muazzam Beg highlights the iniquities of the caste system and the titular 19th-century social reformer's pioneering and painstaking fight to uproot customs and practices designed to trap the underprivileged in poverty, illiteracy, and powerlessness.

Some of the film's flashpoints are elaborately staged for the camera. A few others are either only spelt out in lines of dialogue or dealt with in passing. One thing that Phule does not do is lay much store by the conventions of commercial Hindi cinema, an obvious strength that might not instantly endear it to those who are seeking more conventional entertainment.

It is the end of the 19th century. Poona, which on the screen looks more like rural than urban, is in the grip of the Bubonic plague. An ageing Savitribai Phule (Patralekhaa), wife and lifelong indefatigable associate of the now-deceased Jyotirao Phule (Pratik Gandhi), rushes to a medical camp to attend to an infected patient at great risk to her own life.

The crisis is severe but it is no more unnerving than the ones that she and her husband encountered as they went about their mission to uplift women, Dalits, and farmers. The film succeeds for the most part to capture the enormity of the task that the couple sets themselves.

In its depiction of a period of great turmoil and a couple's concerted efforts to mitigate the sufferings of those deprived of access to social and political rights, Phule does not get ahead of itself although the temptations to do that are many and obvious.

Phule does not convey rage as much as it expresses shock and outrage. The guardians of the caste system stand in the way of the two intrepid social activists but the film makes it a point not to construct the battle in the manner of an outright good-versus-evil confrontation. The balance that underpins the film stands it in good stead.

Phule bears tell-tale signs of the modifications imposed upon it by the Central Board of Film Certification. None is as apparent as the muting (which, of course, is akin to mutilation) of the caste references in 14-year-old Mukta Salve's pioneering essay that is regarded as the first specimen of Dalit writing in Marathi.

But a handful of crucial scenes—notably one in which cow dung is hurled at Savitribai by Brahmin boys and a face-off between Jyotirao and Pune's upper caste men over the shadow that he casts in their path—are very much a part of the film.

The actors, even those that would, in formulaic cinema parlance, be designated as the bad guys (priests, scholars, and other orthodox elders who oppose the education of girls and other social and religious reforms), are allowed to largely underplay their parts.

A Hindi biopic that does not resort to distortions and selective tweaking and heightening of recorded fact is, if nothing else, a whiff of fresh air. Phule captures a time and place where those who possessed power-the British rulers, the upper caste gentry, and the religious leaders did as they wished, unmindful of the plight of the people they oppressed.

One might fault Phule for cramming too much into its 130 minutes but there can be no denying that the film stays true to its purpose. It brings to the screen for the first time ever for a pan-Indian audience the life and times of two social reformers who laid the ground for the Dalit rights movement.

It follows the events leading up to the founding of the Satyashodhak Samaj (Truth-Seekers' Society) in Pune in 1873 to address social conditions that gave undue powers to the upper caste elite and undermined the well-being of the masses.

Firm in its historicity, the screenplay extracts every bit of drama that it can from a narrative without going overboard with it.

Phule is as much about Jyotiba, whose life changes because of the Protestant education he receives, his exposure to Thomas Paine's Rights of Man, among other books, an unhappy encounter at the wedding of a Brahmin friend (this incident is mentioned, not shown), and the disagreements he has with his father Govindrao (Vinay Pathak), as it is about Savitribai, a child bride home-schooled by her husband to a point where she is ready to be trained as a teacher herself.

Savitribai's quick evolution is paralleled by that of her closest associate Fatima Sheikh (Akshaya Gurav), a Muslim girl educated at home by her brother Usman Sheikh (Jayesh More). None of the principal characters in the film is a figment of the imagination but some of the situations that they find themselves in are often amped up for effect.

The script focuses on the many storms that the Phules weathered as they went about their urgent mission to weed out evil practices like untouchability, child marriage, and oppression of Hindu widows, and promote education for all.

Having been subjected to a flurry of bloated and shrill period dramas aimed at peddling slanted narratives of convenience, discerning Hindi movie audiences should find the factual fidelity of Phule both refreshing and surprising.

Phule tells an inspiring tale but it is not the sort of crowd-pleasing movie that could inveigle those who watch and enjoy Chhaava and Tanhaji. It is strictly for those who can separate grain from cinematic chaff.

Phule has many strengths beyond the performances and the craft that has gone into its making (unflashy and to the point, cinematographer Sunita Radia and editor Raunak Phadnis do their jobs to perfection,  but nothing compares with what Pratik Gandhi brings to the project. He is the heart and soul of the film and overshadows everything, and everyone else.

Patralekhaa serves as the ideal foil. Phule has notable supporting performances by Vinay Pathak as Jyotirao's conservative father, Sushil Pandey as the reformer's tetchy elder brother, Darsheel Safary as the couple's adopted son Yashwant and Joy Sengupta as a vocal Brahmin leader.

Watch Phule not only because it has something to say but also because of the way it says it—with restraint and integrity.

In a nation that has long silenced the stories of those who dared to challenge the caste hegemony, Phule arrives like a long-overdue monsoon—drenched in truth, rich in emotion, and crackling with revolutionary fire. Directed with profound sensitivity by Ananth Mahadevan and brought to life by Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa in career-defining performances, Phule is not merely a period drama; it is a poetic manifesto of equality, education and courage.

The film opens in the grim shadow of 1897’s bubonic plague in Pune, as an aging Savitribai Phule (played by Patralekhaa) tends to the dying and the dispossessed with unwavering compassion. But this present is soon interrupted by a flicker of memory, transporting us to 1848—the year that would ignite a storm. What unfolds is a searing 16-year flashback into the life of a young Jyotirao(played by Pratik Gandhi) and Savitribai, charting their radical journey from defiance to immortality.
The flashback pulls us into a time where caste hierarchies weren’t just invisible lines drawn by society—they were iron shackles, sanctioned by religion and enforced by centuries of silence. It was an era when Brahminical orthodoxy ruled the social fabric with an iron fist, and patriarchy cast a long, unforgiving shadow over the dreams of women. In this bleak landscape, Phule unfurls like a rebellion in bloom, transporting us into the brave and tumultuous journey of Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule—two souls who chose resistance over resignation.

The film gently weaves in glimpses of their early years, showing how, despite their child marriage, Jyotirao—wise beyond his years—chose not to merely be a husband, but a partner in purpose. He taught Savitri to read, to write, and most importantly, to question—a radical act that would become the cornerstone of their shared revolution.

Soon, we see the duo conducting clandestine classes for young girls—an underground movement disguised as a school, supported quietly by a few liberal allies from upper castes who hadn’t yet let tradition harden their humanity. The scenes of them gently coaxing wary mothers, who equate education with sin and lower castes with impurity, are both tender and tragic. It is here that the film shines—not by preaching, but by holding a mirror to a society that feared the idea of a girl with a book.
But change, as history reminds us, does not come unchallenged. As the whispers of their secret school reach the ears of the village elite, the wrath is swift and brutal. Brahmin mobs descend upon the school like a storm of righteous fury—blackening slates, shattering benches, and thrashing Jyotirao in front of the very children he sought to empower. Back home, the battle continues. Govindrao Phule, Jyotirao’s father, though himself from a marginalized caste, has internalized the very orthodoxy his son seeks to dismantle. He scoffs at their cause, ridicules Savitri’s childlessness, and lashes out in patriarchal disbelief: “Angrezi school mein padhaya iska ye matlab nahi ki tum apna dharm aur sanskriti bhool jao."

To this, Jyotirao offers a reply that simmers with quiet rage: “Jo gyaan arijit karega woh brahmin keh layega. Maine kia par kya brahmin kehlaya? Dharm aur satya ke marg pe hoon. Maine woh gyaan seekha hai jo humse chhupaya gaya hai."
Mahadevan’s directorial vision is complemented by the film’s breathtaking cinematography, which captures the rugged beauty of the Maharashtrian hinterlands and the claustrophobic oppression of Pune’s caste-ridden society. The journey through the hinterlands, as Jyotirao and Savitribai seek refuge with their friend Usman Sheikh, is a visual poem, with sweeping shots of rolling hills juxtaposed against the couple’s precarious existence. The destruction of their underground school by Brahmin enforcers is filmed with visceral intensity, the camera lingering on the shattered slates and trembling children to underscore the stakes of their mission.

The background score and music by Rohan-Rohan are equally searing, beautiful, and haunting. Songs like ‘Saathi’ musically immortalize the love between Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule and their resolve to bring about change. Similarly, a charged anthem like ‘Dhun Lagi’ accompanies scenes highlighting their hard work and resistance.

Pratik Gandhi’s portrayal of Jyotirao Phule is nothing short of revelatory. Known for his versatility, Gandhi imbues Jyotirao with a quiet intensity that erupts into fiery resolve when confronting injustice. His eyes convey a kaleidoscope of emotions—pain at the plight of lower-caste people, determination to spark a revolution in a country at the crossroads of a freedom struggle, and unwavering love for Savitribai. His portrayal of the different phases of Jyotirao Phule’s life is phenomenal.

Patralekhaa, as Savitribai, is the film’s beating heart. Her performance is a masterclass in restraint and strength, portraying a woman who defies societal norms with grace and grit. She fully inhabits the role of Savitribai, capturing her strong, feminist, and reformative spirit. The chemistry between Gandhi and Patralekhaa is electric, their shared glances and tender moments depict a partnership rooted in mutual respect and shared ideals.

Alexx O’Nell’s Ribbs Jones, the British collector, adds a layer of complexity to the narrative. Far from a stereotypical colonial figure, Jones is portrayed as a man grappling with the contradictions of British rule—sympathetic to the Phules’ mission yet bound by imperial constraints. O’Nell’s understated performance ensures that Jones is neither villain nor saviour, but a catalyst who amplifies the Phules’ agency. Other actors—like Darsheel Safary as Yashwant Phule, Vinay Pathak as Govindrao Phule, Joy Sengupta as Vinayak Sengupta, and Sushil Pandey as Babaji Rao Phule, among others—have all played their parts well.

Phule is more than a film; it is a testament to the power of courage, compassion, and collective action. By centering the Phules’ Satyashodak Samaj and their redefinition of “Dalit" as a term of pride rather than shame, the film challenges contemporary India to confront its caste and gender inequities.

And though centuries have passed and the tides of time have swept over India’s social fabric, the echoes of injustice that Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule resisted still thrum beneath its surface. The oppressive caste hierarchies they sought to dismantle, the Brahmanical patriarchy they defied, and the radical right to education they championed for women and the marginalized—these are not ghosts of a bygone era. They are living, breathing realities in the undercurrents of our society.

Every time a Dalit groom is attacked for riding a horse—his dignity tethered to tradition and violently pulled down. Every time a child from a lower caste is humiliated for entering a temple, for drinking from the wrong well, for daring to sit in the same classroom. Every time the internet swells with slurs that sting of generational hatred, and debates on equality are dismissed with mockery or malice. Every time a menstruating girl is shamed and stopped from learning, or a young Dalit student is mutilated on his way to an examination hall, or a woman is denied her agency simply for being born female. Every time caste, gender, or class become cages rather than constructs—The legacy of the Phules blazes back into the light.

Phule, Ananth Mahadevan’s searing ode to these eternal revolutionaries, is a mirror held up to a society that still flinches at its own reflection. It is a reminder that progress is not a straight line, and history does not rest in peace. As long as oppression is repackaged in silence and systemic prejudice cloaks itself in civility, the torch carried by Jyotirao and Savitribai must burn—fierce, unwavering, and defiantly illuminating.

In an era where historical narratives are often co-opted for divisive ends, this film also stands as a beacon of truth and unity. It reminds us that “Logon ko dharm aur jaati mein ladana bohot aasan hai" (it’s easy to make people fight over religion and caste), but true progress lies in keeping “kranti ki jyot jalaaye rakhna" (the flame of revolution alive), something that remains deeply relevant in today’s times.

After facing controversies and headlines, Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa starrer Phule has finally hit the screens today. Based on the life of social activist, businessman, anti-caste social reformer and writer, Jyotirao Phule aka Jyotiba Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule (the first female teacher of India), the biographical drama showcases the couple’s contributions to social reform and education in India.
While the trailer looked promising due to the nuanced acts of the lead cast, does it manage to impress the audience? Let’s find out…

The plot starts in 1897 in Poona (now Pune), where villagers are scared due to the bubonic plague and are taken to medical camps by Britishers. In a panic, Savitribai Phule (played by Patralekhaa), without any fear or hesitation, carries a kid and takes him to the camp.
Cut to 1848, young Jyotiba Phule ( Pratik Gandhi) is teaching English to his wife Savitri, which is not only liked by the upper caste or surroundings but also by his father Govind Phule (Vinay Pathak).
Jyotiba secretly goes to his upper caste friend’s house along with Savitribai to educate young girls. But soon the upper caste people reach that place and destroy all the study material. Later, all the Brahmins warn Jyotiba through Panchayat to stop educating girls as it is insulting Indian culture and tradition and accepting the slavery of Britishers.
To avoid any trouble for his father and elder brother, Jyotiba and Savitribai leave their home and go to Usman’s house, who is Phule’s school friend. As they realize that people are not comfortable sending girls to schools because there are no female teachers, Savitribai Phule and Usman’s sister Fatima get professional training and thus emerge as female teachers of India.

On 15th May 1849, a small open school was started by Savitribai and Fatima with 30 girls and by 1852, the number of schools reached 20. While the problem of girl education is slowly and steadily being solved, Jyotiba realizes the condition of Shudras (lower caste) and widows is still miserable due to regressive and orthodox traditions implemented by the upper caste.
On 24th September 1873, Jyotiba starts the Satyashodhak Samaj to fight for the equal rights of the lower caste and combat caste discrimination. The couple also tackled the Great Famine in India, which was triggered due to drought in 1876 and solved it with great will and determination.

For the upliftment of the Shudras (Dalits) and for spreading progressive thoughts including widow remarriage, Phule was bestowed with the title of Mahatma on May 11, 1888.

Till the demise of the couple, Jyotiba and Savitribai gave their heart, soul and everything for the reformation of the country and making a place where girls can be educated with free minds and no fear.

Director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan has brilliantly crafted the biographical drama of Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule as the movie beautifully showcases the precious contribution of the couple, which played a crucial role in making India a progressive country.

Ananth takes you to that era and makes you part of Jyotiba and Savitirbai’s struggles, hardships and triumphs. While Sunita Radia has done a good job as DoP, Raunak Phadnis’ editing is good but could have been a bit crisper in the second half.
Talking about the performances, Pratik delivers a stellar act as Jyotiba and his sincerity in portraying this great soul is visible in every frame. Patralekhaa too gives an eye-pleasing emotional performance and makes a special place in your heart. Supporting cast including Vinay Pathak, Sushil Pandey, Suresh Vishwakarma, Joysen Gupta, Alexx O’Nell, Amit Behl, Akshaya Gurav and Jayesh More have played their roles perfectly. Special mention for Taare Zameen Par actor Darsheel Safary, who played Jyotiba and Savitribai’s adopted son Yashwant with innocence and finesse.

On the whole, Phule is a must-watch for all the Indians as it is a beautiful tribute to Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

Phule | Official Trailer | Pratik Gandhi & Patralekhaa | Ananth Narayan Mahadevan | April 11, 2025

Pratik Gandhi is an Indian actor. He primarily works in Gujarati theatre and cinema. He garnered national attention and widespread critical acclaim for playing stock broker Harshad Mehta in the 2020 Sony LIV biographical drama web series Scam 1992.

Pratik Gandhi

Born in Shillong, Patralekha Paul’s real name is Anwita Paul. An alumna of the FTII, Patralekha made her Bollywood debut in 2014 with ace filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s CityLights opposite Rajkummar Rao. She is best known for movies like Love Games and Nanu Ki Jaanu. Known for, Patralekhha also featured in ALT  Balaji's historical period drama web series called Bose: Dead/Alive.

Phule(2025)