A Unique Concept Struggles in Execution. Star-Studded Series Fails to Fully Deliver on Its Ambitious Premise
July 25, 2025: The highly anticipated series ‘Mandala Murders‘ co-directed by Gopi Puthran and Manan Rawat, premiered tonight, July 25th, on Jio Hotstar. The cast of the show is big and includes Vaani Kapoor, Surveen Chawla, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, and Jameel Khan. It takes place in a gloomy world where women have to deal with ritualistic killings, demon worship, and a legendary cult.
The story begins in 1952 in the Varuna forest in Charandaspur, where Rukmini (Shriya Pilgaonkar) is the Mahamani of Aayastis and is doing a mystical revival. This ancient near-religion intends to utilize human sacrifice to connect with universal energy and bring their god, Yast, into the world. The plot then jumps to 2022, when Rukmini’s granddaughter tries to fulfill the same prophecy, which leads to a succession of terrible murders. Detective Vikram Singh (Jameel Khan) and SP Rea Thomas (Vaani Kapoor) are in responsibility of solving these crimes. They go to the deep, mythical region of the Aayastis to do so.
A lot of people who have seen “Mandala Murders” say it doesn’t do a good job of following through on its basic theme, which is a mix of science and a mystical religion. The tale isn’t very deep and has a “scattered tone,” and a lot of the suspense that was supposed to be there is “largely predictable.” Some people argue that the show’s “high aspirations” make it “quiver under its own weight,” which makes it a “ineffective slow burn” that tests viewers’ patience over the course of its eight 40-50 minute episodes.
One thing that makes the series good is how it shows women getting angry. In his earlier work on “Mardaani,” director Gopi Puthran did this effectively. Vaani Kapoor plays Rea, Surveen Chawla plays Ananya, and Shriya Pilgaonkar plays Rukmini. All three of them have to deal with issues that are generated by sexism in the system. All of them show anger and determination. Ananya Bharadwaj is a smart politician, but Surveen Chawla is the best. She has a lot of self-control and her character grows in interesting ways. Shriya Pilgaonkar also gets praise for her “luminous” performance and “well-written, layered character” in a longer role.
But the main character, Rea Thomas, isn’t really good in the series. People often comment that Vaani Kapoor’s performance is “muted,” which suggests that it doesn’t have the emotional depth and vulnerability that would let people relate to her character. Her mental problems are “not well established,” and the action scenes, which involve “gravity-defying, Tiger Shroff-like stunts,” appear “contrived” and not authentic.
People say that “Mandala Murders” is like a “clammy firecracker that fizzles out too soon.” It contains a lot of cool ideas, textures, and styles, but it doesn’t pay off in a big way, turning into a “mishmash of too many things.” There are some good sections in the series, but it doesn’t use them all to their full potential.