When your cousin gets high during Ramleela and God goes on strike.
Mandali mirrors the journey of a man and his struggle to uphold righteousness in times of diminishing social conscience and the downfall of cultural and traditional values through the protagonist. Purshottam Chaubey aka Puru is a peon in an intermediate college in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. He plays the role of Lord Laxmana along with his cousin Sitaram Chaubey who plays the role of Lord Rama in the Ramleela Mandali, run by his uncle Ramsevak Chaubey. Their life takes a blow when during a performance they have to leave midway because of Sitaram’s indulgence and addiction to drugs. Not being able to withstand the humiliation, and guilty of ruining God’s name, Ramsevak leaves performing in the Ramleela forever. Puru confronts Ramsevak on his escapist approach and condemns his decision to withdraw while beginning a journey of struggle to bring back his family on stage with dignity.
Acting
Abhishek Duhan carries spiritual weight in every exhausted glance.
Writing
Mathura's dialect and Ramleela politics feel lived-in, not researched.
Direction
Chaturvedi makes peon life epic without glorifying poverty.
Director
'Om' Rakesh Chaturvedi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ramleela troupes in Braj region historically mixed caste and class—Mandali captures this democratization before commercialization killed it.
The film's Mathura isn't tourist-temple Mathura; it's the collapsing industrial town where the actual performers live, work as peons, and watch their art form die.
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