An artist, a Mandali, and a moral stand: Why Mandali feels uncomfortably relevant in today’s times
In an age where faith is often repackaged for spectacle and morality is negotiated for convenience, Mandali arrives as a film that refuses to look away. Directed by Rakesh Chaturvedi Om, the film uses the fading world of Ramleela not just as a backdrop, but as a living metaphor for a society struggling to hold on to its conscience. At its core, Mandali is not merely about theatre or tradition; it is about the cost of choosing righteousness when compromise is the easier, safer option.
The film follows Purshottam Choubey, or Puru (played by Abhishek Duhan), a young man who earns his living as a college peon in Mathura while dedicating his soul to Ramleela, where he plays Lord Laxman. Trained under his uncle Ramsevak Choubey (Vineet Kumar), a staunch believer in the purity and sanctity of the art form, Puru grows up believing that Ramleela is not performance but prayer. When a moment of public humiliation leads Ramsevak to withdraw from Ramleela altogether, it becomes the first fracture in Puru’s belief system, and the beginning of his lonely moral stand.
What makes Mandali resonate today is its portrayal of erosion of values, of community, and of patience for integrity. As Puru navigates love, caste-based rejection, professional sabotage and political arrogance, the film steadily exposes how power often disguises itself as devotion, and how tradition becomes hollow when stripped of sincerity. His relationship with Bunty (Aanchal Munjal) further deepens the narrative, bringing caste prejudice and social hypocrisy into sharp focus.
The film’s most telling moments come when Puru tries to revive Ramleela on his own terms, only to be met with empty grounds and disinterest. It is a quiet but piercing commentary on contemporary audiences: eager for noise, spectacle and shortcuts, but unwilling to sit with faith that demands patience and humility. Even success, when it comes, is fragile. When political power collides with ritual on stage, ego trumps belief, forcing Puru to step down yet again.
Mandali feels uncomfortably relevant because it mirrors a truth many recognise but rarely confront... that the ideals celebrated on stage often fail to survive in real life. Yet the film does not surrender to cynicism. In Puru’s refusal to abandon his calling, it finds hope. Like the phoenix it evokes, Mandali suggests that while faith may be bruised, it can still rise, provided there are individuals brave enough to stand alone for it.
Produced by Prashant Kumar Gupta, Neetu Sabarwal, Geetika Gupta, Mandali airing on Amazon Prime
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