Mandala Murders Review: Enthralling crime thriller and should be watched its unique story and setup despite flaws
Mandala Murders Web Series Rating: 3.5 Stars
Watched Mandala Murders Web Series on Netflix. So, let’s analyze the cast, release date, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this web series.
Cast: Vaani Kapoor, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Surveen Chawla, Raghubir Yadav, Aaditi Pohankar, Jameel Khan, Siddhanth Kapoor and Shriya Pilgaonkar
Director: Gopi Puthran & Manan Rawat
Release Date: 18th July 2025 on Jio Hotstar
Duration: 8 Episodes/ 50 Minutes
Story: Series opens in 1952, Rukmini (Shriya Pilgaonkar), a witch from the village of Charandaspur in north India, along with a few other women, looks to prepare a new world by creating their god Yast with various processes with a device called Ayastha Instrument in the Forest of Varuna. But it fails for a reason.
In present, suspended police officer Vikram Singh (Vaibhav Raj Gupta) is on his way to his hometown Charandaspur along with his father Vishwanath (Manu Rishi Chadha). In the train, their co-passenger is Abhishek Sahay (Aakash Dahiya) who has arrived in Charandaspur for a mission to gather evidence about a deal taking place between local gangster siblings, Suraj Yadav (Rahul Bhagga) and Vijay Yadav (Siddhanth Kapoor) and an associate of local politician, Ananya Bharadwaj (Surveen Chawla).
Next day, his dead body is found in the river, minus his torso. Due to the brutality involved, the CIB is involved. Rea Thomas (Vaani Kapoor) who is dealing with a past trauma insists to her boss, CIB Deputy Director Naveen Desai (Kiran Karmarkar) that she should be assigned the case. She reaches Charandaspur and realizes the mystery is far deeper than it seemed at first.
The political angle is connected with the murder and hence, Ananya is a suspect. Vikram, who’s on a personal mission in his hometown, also gets sucked into the madness. And more importantly, the murder of Abhishek and of the others that follow has a direct connection with a secret cult society. What follows is a disturbing trail of cryptic symbols, hidden motives, and mythological conspiracies that test their logic, faith, and emotional resolve.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Story
3. Direction
4. Cinematography
5. Climax
Negatives
1. Length
2. Uneven Screenplay
3. Too many subplots
4. Support cast hasn’t been explored
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this web-series planned to watch in my free time as loved the trailer and liked previous series of YRF Entertainment. The series follows detectives Rea Thomas and Vikram Singh as they investigate ritualistic murders linked to a secret cult, the Aayastis, and a mythical entity called Yast.
Mandala Murders is based on the book The Butcher of Benaraz by the makers of Mahendra Jakar. It attempts to blend Indian mythology, socio-political commentary, and crime fiction into a cohesive story. It tries to comment on caste, patriarchy, trauma, and systemic apathy all under the umbrella of a whodunit thriller. As the story proceeds and the backstories interconnect, the web series becomes a desirable binge-watch! No matter how disturbing the world is! The core concept of the show, following a series of murders linked to a ‘yantra’ and a coin that grants your wishes in return for a thumb, creates an intrigue that steals the show in the beginning itself! The initial episodes do a brilliant job of hooking you in, presenting a puzzle that feels genuinely unique and disturbing. To the show’s credit, the world-building is rich. The dusty lanes of Charandaspur, the dense eeriness of Varuna’s jungle, and the dark visual tone help establish the mood effectively. The cinematography captures the haunting stillness of the UP-based town, and muted chaos with finesse. The background score, while serviceable, doesn’t leave a strong impression, though it complements the suspense decently. Vaani Kapoor stepping into long-format storytelling for the first time and delivers a performance that’s sincere but not always convincing. Vaibhav Raj Gupta breaks his Gullak Mould to portray a man tormented by grief and anger. Surveen Chawla stands out as a local politician whose vulnerability and steel are both rendered with compelling nuance. When it comes to director Gopi Puthran. It can be said that he has handled the subject he has adapted well. The way the time scales in the middle are handled without much confusion is impressive.
The biggest problem it faces are not in its ambition, but in its inability to control it. The series aims for profundity, using the mandala as a symbol of order, chaos, sacrifice, and belief, but its script is so stuffed with concepts that few are given the space to breathe. And then there’s the gore. Characters are introduced with intrigue but then fade without resolution or significance. Motivations are hinted at but not explored with enough depth. By the time you find your bearings in one thread, the show has already jumped to another. The show often gets tangled in its own timeline-switching structure, leading to stretches where tension gives way to confusion. There are moments where the plot feels muddled, and viewers might find themselves zoning out, waiting for it to regain focus. Another jarring contrast is the blending of fantasy with science. While the ritualistic elements draw from historical imagination, their overlap with modern science and conspiracy theories feels somewhat unconvincing. This genre-blending could have been brilliant, but here it feels a tad mismatched like two puzzle pieces that almost fit, but not quite. The show gets extremely confusing and complex. From the first episode itself, several characters get introduced in quick succession and it might be difficult to keep a track of who is who and who is related to whom and how. Hence, it is mandatory to binge-watch the show or to avoid keeping big gaps between two episodes; otherwise, you might lose track. Even though the series is gripping, courtesy its promising premise, its ending doesn’t really hit as hard as you’d expected it to.
A shorter run, a tighter script, and fewer tangents could’ve turned this from a curious thriller into something truly unforgettable. As it stands, it’s a fascinating mess, occasionally brilliant, often frustrating and always drenched in blood and questions. The cliffhanger ending suggests a deeper conspiracy still to unfold setting up anticipation for a potential second season. A grim and mythologically rich thriller that occasionally buckles under its own ambition but is held together by strong performances, haunting visuals, and an engrossing central mystery. Overall, series is a compelling watch. It doesn’t revolutionize the crime thriller genre, but it carves its niche by grounding murder and mystery in ritual and belief. It is a gripping, ambitious thriller that dares to explore uncharted narrative territory with its eerie setting, layered plotlines and an intriguing cult subplot that adds a disturbing yet fascinating edge. For those who enjoy slow-burn thrillers with rich atmospheres, a touch of occult mystery, and layered characters, it offers a decent one-time watch. series. My view on this web-series is Recommended.
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