02-08-2025
Shriya Pilgaonkar reflects on playing a cult leader in ‘Mandala Murders'
Actress Shriya Pilgaonkar recently offered fans a glimpse into her transformative role as Rukmini, the cult leader and 1950s founder of the Aayastis in the gripping crime thriller series Mandala Murders. Sharing behind-the-scenes moments on Instagram, Shriya described the experience as 'brief but deeply fulfilling and so fun as an actor.'
In a series of posts, Shriya revealed her look test, set videos, and snaps from filming. In one quirky clip, dressed in her full character getup, she jokingly says, 'Love the look and clearly Mahamani is a maximalist. She wakes up like this.' One photo even featured her holding a script stamped with 'YRF', prompting a nostalgic callback to her debut film Fan with Shah Rukh Khan. 'Reuniting with YRF after my debut film Fan was special,' she wrote.
She captioned her post with humor and heart: 'Never thought I'd be playing a cult leader giving Goddess + Frida Kahlo vibes who wants to chop off thumbs. But here we are. I love my job.'
Mandala Murders, created and co-directed by Gopi Puthran with Manan Rawat, is based on the novel The Butcher of Benaraz. Set in the fictional town of Charandaspur, Uttar Pradesh, the series mixes mystery, supernatural horror, and psychological thrills. It follows detectives Rea Thomas and Vikram Singh as they unravel ritualistic killings linked to a cult and a mythical entity called Yast.
The show stars Vaani Kapoor, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Surveen Chawla, Raghubir Yadav, and Shriya Pilgaonkar in pivotal roles. Across eight episodes, it explores intense themes like faith versus science and love versus sacrifice — combining gritty police drama with eerie occult intrigue.
Shriya's return to the YRF banner has fans excited, as she continues to take on bold, unconventional roles.
