Controversial actress Poonam Pandey will no longer be playing the role of Mandodari in the Ramleela. The Luv Kush Ramleela Committee—one of Delhi’s biggest and most renowned Ramleela organisations—made the announcement after a public outcry.
Poonam was supposed to portray Mandodari—the wife of Ravana.
However, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and various religious leaders and saints strongly opposed her inclusion in the performance. They urged the organisers to reconsider their decision, stating that casting a controversial actress like Poonam Pandey in a religious and cultural portrayal would send a wrong message to society.
The VHP welcomed the committee’s decision with Surendra Gupta calling the decision a commendable step toward preserving cultural values and religious traditions.
Poonam Pandey has been in the spotlight since 2010 due to her nude and semi-nude photos. A model-turned-actress, she made headlines in 2011 when she declared that she would strip completely if India won the Cricket World Cup. However, the BCCI did not grant her permission for this act. In 2012, she posed nude for Kolkata Knight Riders.
In 2017, she launched her own mobile app, which was later removed from the Play Store due to objectionable content. Similarly, she started a sex-tape series on Instagram, which was also taken down by the platform.
Poonam Pandey herself had announced her role as Mandodari in a video, sparking strong backlash from the public, religious organisations, spiritual leaders, and political parties. Initially, the committee defended their decision to retain her but due to mounting pressure and protest they were ultimately compelled to withdraw her from the role.
Controversial Track Record
Her film career has largely revolved around low-budget erotica, with movies like Nasha (2013) receiving critical backlash for explicit content.
In 2020, she faced legal trouble after violating COVID-19 lockdown rules in Goa, which led to a police case. In another instance, she filed a complaint of domestic abuse against her then-husband, only to later withdraw it — again drawing media attention. In 2023, Poonam sparked another controversy by faking her own death from cervical cancer as part of a misguided “awareness campaign.” The stunt backfired massively, drawing public condemnation for trivializing a serious disease and emotionally misleading fans and followers.
