MP polls 2023: Who is Vikram Mastal, the 'Ramayan' actor Congress has fielded against Shivraj Singh Chouhan?

The Congress released its first list of 144 candidates on Sunday for the upcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh and the candidate that everyone is talking about is actor-turned-politician Vikram Mastal.

Vikram Mastal is known for his role as Lord Hanuman in Anand Sagar's 2008 television show "Ramayan."

He has been selected by the Congress party to contest against Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Budhni.

The Budhni seat has been a stronghold for Chouhan, who defeated senior Congress leader Arun Yadav with a margin of nearly 58,999 votes in the 2018 assembly polls.

Mastal joined the grand old party this year in July in the presence of former state chief minister Kamal Nath.

Day after joining the Congress, Mastal "condemned the language used" in the movie "Adipurush" by Hanuman, adding that the lines harm people's feelings.

The actor-turned-politician has also appeared in the movie "Top Gear" and web series like "Aashram" and "Battle of Saragarhi."

Mastal hails from a farmer family in Salkanpur, Madhya Pradesh and graduated from Barkatullah University before becoming an actor.

Mastal is passionate about martial arts and mountaineering. Arjun Sharma, his younger brother, is a politician.