Abhishek Duhan, Vineet Kumar star in a tale of faith versus power

In a time when faith is turned into spectacle and morality bends for convenience, Mandali uses the fading world of Ramleela to reflect a society struggling to hold on to its conscience. Directed by Rakesh Chaturvedi Om, the film asks what it costs to choose righteousness when compromise feels easier.

The story follows Purshottam Choubey aka Puru (Abhishek Duhan), a college peon in Mathura who plays Lord Laxman in Ramleela and believes it is prayer, not performance. Trained by his uncle Ramsevak (Vineet Kumar), Puru’s faith is shaken when public humiliation drives his mentor off the stage, pushing him into a lonely moral fight.

As Puru faces love, caste rejection, sabotage and political pressure, the film shows how power often wears the mask of devotion and tradition loses meaning without sincerity. His bond with Bunty (Aanchal Munjal) sharpens its critique of social hypocrisy.

‘Mandali’ feels relevant because it mirrors a truth many avoid: ideals praised on stage rarely survive in real life. Yet the film finds hope in Puru’s refusal to quit, suggesting faith can rise again if someone dares to stand alone.

Produced by Prashant Kumar Gupta, Neetu Sabarwal and Geetika Gupta, ‘Mandali’ releases on October 27.


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