Major Shalu Verma will now replace Poonam Pandey as Mandodari in Luv Kush Ramleela
There will be a major change in the Luv Kush Ramlila this year. Actress Poonam Pandey will be replaced by Major Shalu Verma as Mandodari.
Abha Yadav 
A major change has been announced for this year’s world-famous Lav Kush Ramlila at the Red Fort grounds. Actress Poonam Pandey will no longer play the role of Mandodari. Instead, the character will be portrayed by Major Shalu Verma.
To convey the message of Shri Ram to the society-
Committee President Arjun Kumar and General Secretary Subhash Goyal stated that while Poonam Pandey had initially agreed to play Mandodari at the committee’s invitation, several organizations and sections of society raised objections after her name was announced. The committee felt that such opposition could obstruct the core objective of the Ramlila—to spread the message of Lord Shri Ram to society.
Based on Operation Sindoor-
After detailed deliberations, the committee unanimously decided to entrust the role of Mandodari to Major Shalu Verma. Arjun Kumar said, “This year, our Ramlila is also themed around ‘Operation Sindoor’. Hence, we took the decision to assign key roles to members of the armed forces. Major Shalu Verma will play Mandodari, and in addition, four to five other defence personnel will also feature in significant roles.”
Army officers in Ramlila staging for the first time-
The decision has been met with enthusiasm by both the committee and the public, as this marks the first time that defence officers will participate on such a large scale in the historic Ramlila Production.
