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{{short description|Indian Hindi drama film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Mandali
| image = Mandali.jpeg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Rakesh Chaturvedi Om
| writer =
| producer = Prashant Kumar
| starring = {{ubl|Purshottam Choubey|[[Aanchal Munjal]]|[[Rajniesh Duggall]]}}
| cinematography =
| editing =
| music =
| studio =
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2023|10|27|df=y}}
| country = India
| language = Hindi
}}

'''''Mandali''''' is a 2023 Hindi drama film directed by Rakesh Chaturvedi and produced by Prashant Kumar Gupta, Geetika Gupta and Neetu Sabarwal of Reltic Pictures.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Jaffer |first=Askari |date=2023-10-26 |title=Kanwaljeet Singh spills the tea about his upcoming film 'Mandali' |url=https://www.thehansindia.com/cinema/bollywood/kanwaljeet-singh-spills-the-tea-about-his-upcoming-film-mandali-832614 |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=www.thehansindia.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Watch: Trailer Of Mandali, Based On The Ramleela Play, Out |url=https://www.news18.com/movies/watch-trailer-of-mandali-based-on-the-ramleela-play-out-8617215.html |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=News18 |language=en}}</ref>

Abhishek Duhan stars as Purshottam Choubey, a devoted performer portraying [[Lakshmana|Lord Laxman]], with [[Aanchal Munjal]] as his love interest and [[Rajneesh Duggal|Rajniesh Duggall]] as a manipulative politician.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Ganguly |first=Dharitri |date=2023-10-20 |title=Ashwath Bhatt's next feature film Mandali is inspired from Munshi Premchand's story |url=https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/cinema/2023/Oct/20/ashwath-bhatts-next-feature-film-mandali-is-inspired-from-munshi-premchands-story-54373.html |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Indulgexpress |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Indulge |first=Team |date=2023-10-20 |title=Rajniesh Duggall to play a villain for the first time in feature film Mandali |url=https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/cinema/2023/Oct/20/rajniesh-duggall-to-play-a-villain-for-the-first-time-in-feature-film-mandali-54357.html |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Indulgexpress |language=en}}</ref> The ensemble cast includes [[Vineet Kumar]], [[Kanwaljit Singh (actor)|Kanwaljeet Singh]], [[Alka Amin]], [[Brijendra Kala]], and others.<ref name=":1" /> Inspired by [[Premchand|Munshi Premchand]]’s story ''Ramleela'',<ref name=":2" /> the film depicts how traditional ''[[Ramlila|Ramleela]]'' performances in small towns are sometimes influenced by commercialization.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Indulge |first=Team |date=2023-10-24 |title=Aanchal Munjal's film Mandali is inspired by Munshi Premchand's Ramleela |url=https://www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/cinema/2023/Oct/24/aanchal-munjals-film-mandali-is-inspired-by-munshi-premchands-ramleela-54463.html |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Indulgexpress |language=en}}</ref>

== Plot ==
Mandali follows the journey of Purshottam Chaubey, commonly known as Puru, a peon at an intermediate college in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, who is passionately devoted to his role as Lord Laxman in his local Ramleela performance. The narrative centers on a traditional Ramlila mandali managed by his uncle, Ramsevak Chaubey. Puru's cousin, Sitaram Chaubey, plays the role of Lord Rama, and his involvement in the performance is marred by his indulgence in drugs, which leads to an abrupt halt during a key performance. This incident not only causes public humiliation but also triggers a personal and cultural crisis when Ramsevak abandons the art form, feeling that the sanctity of the sacred play has been compromised. Puru then embarks on a struggle to restore dignity to his family and the traditional Ramleela, reflecting on broader themes of honor, tradition, and the erosion of cultural values. The film is inspired by Munshi Premchand's story ''Ramleela'' and presents a critical examination of how sacred cultural performances can be exploited for financial gain through the incorporation of obscene elements.

== Cast and characters ==

* Abhishek Duhan as Purshottam Chaubey (Puru)
* [[Aanchal Munjal]] as Puru's love interest
* [[Rajneesh Duggal]] as a manipulative politician
* [[Brijendra Kala]] as Naushad Ansari
* [[Vineet Kumar]] as Ramsewak Choubey
* [[Bhasha Sumbli]] as Rashmi Choubey
* [[Kanwaljit Singh (actor)|Kanwaljit Singh]] as Rajiv Narayan Singh
* [[Alka Amin]] as Kusum Choubey
* [[Ashwath Bhatt]] as Sitaram Choubey
* Saharsh Shukla as Ashish Shukla (as Saharsh Kumar Shukla)
* [[Neeraj Sood]] as Inspector Harisharan

== Reception ==
The film was released in October 2023 and was selected to compete for the [[IFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal|ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal]] at the [[54th International Film Festival of India]] (IFFI) in [[Goa]].<ref name=":0" />

Manoj Vashisth of ''[[Dainik Jagran]]'' described it as "a film that shows the life of Ramlila artists, a heart-touching story with acting."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mandali Review: रामलीला के कलाकारों की जिंदगी दिखाती फिल्म, अभिनय से सजी दिल छूती कहानी - Mandali Movie Review Staring Vineet Kumar Rajniesh Duggal Abhishek Duhan Aanchal Munjal Directed By Rakesh Chaturvedi Om |url=https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/reviews-mandali-movie-review-staring-vineet-kumar-rajniesh-duggal-abhishek-duhan-aanchal-munjal-directed-by-rakesh-chaturvedi-om-23567472.html |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Jagran |language=hi}}</ref> Vishal Verma of ''CineBlues'' called it "simple, earnest, and effective."<ref>{{Cite web |last=verma |first=vishal |title=Mandali movie review: simple, earnest and effective |url=https://www.cineblues.com/bollywood-movie-review/mandali |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Cineblues |language=en}}</ref> Akarsh Shukla of ''[[Zee Media Corporation|India.com]]'' described it as "value for money."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mandali: Not a Regular Musical, This Ramleela, Starring Brijendra Kala, is a Satire on Everyday Morales and How {{!}} India.com |url=https://www.india.com/entertainment/mandali-not-a-regular-musical-this-ramleela-starring-brijendra-kala-is-a-satire-on-everyday-morales-and-how-6359706/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=www.india.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mandali Movie Review : पैसा वसूल है रामलीला पर बनी फिल्म मंडली, जानिए पावर और आस्था की लड़ाई में किसकी हुई जीत? |url=https://www.india.com/hindi-news/entertainment-hindi/mandali-movie-review-in-hindi-this-bollywood-film-based-on-ramleela-is-a-battle-of-power-and-faith-6453729/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=www.india.com |language=hi}}</ref> Abhishek Srivastava of ''[[The Times of India|Times of India]]'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, stating that "it's a simple film that manages to bring a smile to your face after it concludes."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Mandali Movie Review : This film preserves the simplicity of Munshi Premchand's characters alive on the silver screen |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/mandali/movie-review/104759011.cms |access-date=2025-03-26 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{IMDb title|id=29299059}}

[[Category:Hindi-language drama films]]
[[Category:Films about social issues in India]]
[[Category:2023 Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:2023 drama films]]
[[Category:2023 Indian films]]

Mandali (film) - Revision history

AtenaLabsCBDReviews: new first bio initial version - done