Mandala Murders

Story:

A 2025 Indian criminal thriller web series in Hindi, Mandala Murders debuted on Netflix on July 25, 2025. The series is based on the book The Butcher of Benaraz and was created and co-directed by Gopi Puthran and Manan Rawat. It is produced by YRF Entertainment. It is set in the made-up town of Charandaspur, Uttar Pradesh, and combines themes of psychological thriller, supernatural horror, and mystery. The show follows detectives Vikram Singh and Rea Thomas as they look into ritualistic killings connected to a legendary being named Yast and a covert cult known as the Aayastis.

Vaani Kapoor, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Surveen Chawla, Raghubir Yadav, and Shriya Pilgaonkar play important parts in the series. It combines contemporary police procedures with occult activities to examine themes of faith, betrayal, caste, and patriarchy over the course of eight episodes. Its evocative world-building, photography, and acting have received positive reviews, however its erratic pacing and intricate plot have drawn criticism.

Mandala Murders, which is set in the fictional Charandaspur, Uttar Pradesh, follows suspended police officer Vikram Singh (Vaibhav Raj Gupta) and CIB officer Rea Thomas (Vaani Kapoor) as they look into ritualistic killings carried out by the Aayastis, a cult that uses human body parts arranged in a mandala pattern to try to resurrect a god-like entity called Yast. The story switches between flashbacks from the 1950s and the present, illuminating the cult’s beginnings through Rea’s grandmother’s opposition to it and its creator Rukmini (Shriya Pilgaonkar). The detectives face political figure Ananya Bhardwaj (Surveen Chawla), who spearheads the cult’s contemporary resurgence, after discovering personal connections to it. Although the cult’s power endures, the probe culminates in a dramatic confrontation in subterranean rooms where Rea interrupts the last ceremony.