Aayush Sharma
Based on Mahendra Jakhar’s 2014 crime fiction novel ‘The Butcher of Benares,’ ‘Mandala Murders’ is a Hindi-language show steeped in mystery. The story follows two brave police officers who do everything and anything to untangle a spine-chilling conspiracy of ritualistic killings in Charandaspur. From the outside, there seems to be nothing wrong with the town. However, a darkness has long haunted this place, and its people have paid the price. Eventually, when things go out of hand, two investigators—Rea Thomas (Vaani Kapoor) and Vikram Singh (Vaibhav Raj Gupta)—join forces to catch the culprit. Yet, as they delve deeper into the case, they find themselves embroiled in a web of mythology, cryptic symbols, secret societies, and a mysterious machine of horrifying wonder.
While the investigation navigates through buried secrets and an ancient prophecy, they realize that this case is not just about the murders, but also about clashing ideologies. A secret society known as Aayast Mandal has been living in Charandaspur for ages and believes that they should bring back their God, Yast, back to earth. However, for that, they would have to follow the symbols of Aayast Mandal and bring Yast back to a mortal vessel. Moreover, that mortal vessel should be made specially and made up of different parts of different human beings. Till the time they find the perfect body parts for their god, the murders continue to take place in Charandaspur. To unravel the mystery behind all the chaos, they continue to work on the case together and find out horrifying details about the slayings and the secret society. But it is not easy for them to uncover the secrets buried deep under the ground because whoever is responsible for these ritualistic slayings is using the place as their playground, and whoever enters has to play by their rules. Thus, making Charandaspur a pivotal plot point in the narrative.
Charandaspur is a Fictional Town Created in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh
‘Mandala Murders’ is largely a fictitious storyline with no real-life inspiration behind it. As a result, most of its plot points bear no resemblance to reality. This is also accurate for the town of Charandaspur, the primary location where the brutal murders take place. In reality, there is no place called Charandaspur. Although the name of this place is quite similar to Chandrapur city in the state of Maharashtra, India, neither of these places is identical and has no connection whatsoever. To create a mysterious town for the show’s narrative, creator Gopi Puthran and his crew shot extensively in different parts of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The principal photography began in March 2023, and shooting took place in Varanasi, Lucknow, and Prayagraj.
Prayagraj and Varanasi are similar in many ways because both places are considered to be sacred. Using these cities to film the series makes sense because they provided a deeper, symbolic layer to the narrative’s ritualistic and religious themes. The crew didn’t shy away from using the spiritual ghats of Varanasi and capturing their evocative beauty to mirror certain themes of the project. Apart from Uttar Pradesh, the crew also filmed a few scenes in Delhi and Mumbai. One of the show’s main characters, Vikram Singh, is shown as an investigator working for the Delhi Police. As a result, parts of Vikram’s time in Delhi with his girlfriend, Kavita, are shot in the nation’s capital. However, apart from being pivotal locations for the title’s narrative, these real-life places have no connection to Charandaspur, which itself is a fictional place.
In ‘Mandala Murders,’ CIB strategist Rea Thomas reaches Varanasi to solve the brutal killings that have shocked the entire city. As soon as she reaches the place, the officer begins investigating the matter and interrogates people who could provide her with a breakthrough. One of them is Vikram Singh, who has come back to learn about her missing mother. But something has been bothering Rea, and she finds herself battling her demons while solving the case. Moreover, one particular dream, in which she sees herself trying to tell something, is causing her immense distress. Nevertheless, Rea continues to work on the case and takes Vikram’s assistance to keep the ball rolling. The story becomes even more complicated when a local politician named Ananya Bharadwaj (Surveen Chawla) gets involved in the matter and wants to use everything to make a name for herself in the field of politics. With so many players involved in this terrifying case, Charandaspur and its story become an important part of the story. In spite of that, much like the overarching plot, the town remains a work of fiction.
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