Actor Poonam Pandey will not be playing the role of Mandodari, wife of Ravana, in the iconic Lav Kush Ramlila staged at Delhi’s Red Fort. This comes days after political and religious groups, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), raised objections. According to the statement quoted by various media reports, Arjun Kumar, president and Subhash Goyal, general secretary of the ramlila’s organising committee said, “Poonam Pandey had initially agreed to portray Mandodari at the committee’s invitation. However, after her name was announced, several institutions and groups raised objections, which, according to the committee, could hinder the core purpose of the Ramlila — to spread the message of Lord Shri Ram to society.”
