Poonam Pandey will no longer play the part of Mandodari, in the Ramlila being organised by Luv Kush Ramlila Committee at Red Fort grounds in Old Delhi.

The organising members of the popular ramlila held a conference in the Capital to announce their committee decision, which apparntaly came after much deliberation since they had been constantly receiving objections from various sections of society ever since the news was released. Following detailed deliberations, the committee unanimously decided that the role of Mandodari will instead be performed by another artiste this year.

Arjun Kumar, president and Subhash Goyal, general secretary of the ramlila’s organising committee said in a statement: “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.”

The committee has also extended their best wishes to Poonam Pandey for the future, and expressed hope that she would understand and accept their decision. The actor, meanwhile, had recently announced that she was looking forward to play the part and in the process of cleansing herself had decided to fast on all nine days of Navratri, in a video message uploaded on her Instagram.