Mandala Murders: Many in the dark, one in the spotlight

Murder mysteries are a very prevalent genre of any series, be it in Netflix or any other streaming platform. But aren't we tired of watching the nearly similar thriller, suspense and murders that occur on each episode and subsequently unravels in the last episode or even worse, the ending is left incomplete. In the constantly growing multiverse of Indian crime thrillers, Netflix's Mandala Murders is different not because it's the most refined, or indeed even the most story sound, but because it poses a question that most shows wouldn't dream of asking,
What if belief is more dangerous than crime?


Mandala Murders moves boldly away from common crime tales. Released on July 25, 2025, this 8-episode Hindi web series goes into a dark and foreboding universe with age-old rituals, obscure cults, and myths of reviving the dead. Based in the imaginary town of Charandaspur in Uttar Pradesh, the show blends slow-burning investigation with bizarre symbols and creepy convictions to present a crime thriller that is fresh yet creepy. However, despite all its dark beauty and atmospheric flair, Mandala Murders isn't as good as it thinks it is.


Vaani Kapoor debuts on OTT as intelligence officer Rea Thomas, and she acts the part with stoic deliberation. Her Rea is a woman who doesn't reveal much too little, perhaps, at times but it suffices in a world where trust is a luxury. The trauma she bears is implied more than it is revealed, leaving her to feel like a locked box the audience is always trying to open. Where some may desire more emotional exposure, Kapoor's reserve lends a detached precision to the bedlam that erupts around her.

Where Rea is the intellect, Vikram is the soul of Mandala Murders. Vaibhav Raj Gupta infuses a battered humanity into the role of a retired policeman dragged back into the shadows he escaped once. It's a complex performance loyal and self-destructive and desperate all at once. There is softness hidden under his tough exterior, and that makes his descent into the orbit of the cult all the more disturbing.


Making appearances mainly in flashbacks, often ghostlike, Shriya Pilgaonkar's Rukmini the cult's founder is the show's strongest mystery. Wrapped in ritual and belief, she's more akin to a living legend than a historical figure. Pilgaonkar's appearance in relatively few scenes haunts the entire series, and her serene authority makes it easy to understand why disciples would give over their lives to her mission And then there’s Surveen Chawla as Ananya politician, granddaughter of Rukmini, and the show’s most fascinating creation. Chawla doesn’t play her as a cardboard villain; she’s a study in controlled ambition and inherited belief. She is both puppet and puppeteer tied to her family’s violent legacy yet steering it toward her own vision. Chawla commands every frame she’s in, her quiet intensity often more chilling than any on-screen violence. She is, by far, the performance that grounds Mandala Murders and provides it with its most memorable moments.

Although the show is full of performances layered with depth, Chawla's performance as the political heir-turned-cult leader is the one which stays with you. She performs Ananya with a restrained intensity never milking the menace, but allowing it to permeate in calculated gazes, silences, and measured movements. The duality of her personality divided between inherited responsibility and individual ambition makes her mercurial and compelling. Even in scenes loaded with other solid actors, your eyes are nearly always drawn to her In Mandala Murders, the plot may intrigue you, but the acting holds you. Kapoor presents us with a heroine of deliberate determination, Gupta provides emotional toughness, Pilgaonkar leaves an ethereal mark, and Chawla steals the act with poised ferocity.
The show is not without its weaknesses pacing lows, exposition overstuffing, and some missteps in tone but it succeeds when it allows its characters to breathe. In a tale of faith, power, and survival, it's appropriate that the individuals, rather than the plot, are what have the greatest
impact.