Long before Naagin became a television tycoon Ekta Kapoor had bigger plans. She imagined turning the Indian folk tale of the vengeful serpent into a feature film. However her vision never materialized as planned and the casting stage became a hurdle. What could have been a cinematic spectacle instead became one of India’s longest-running TV franchises.
The original plan of Ekta Kapoor for Naagin
Ekta Kapoor has always been fascinated by Indian mythology and folklore. In a recent interview she explained how Indian audiences often embrace Western superhero stories but undervalue their own cultural myths. She said “Mythology in India is deeply instilled in the people of this country. Every kid knows that a naagin takes revenge yet we watch movies like Batman and Superman and don’t show our own folklore on screens.”

The initial concept was for a film. Ekta approached big stars for the lead role. One actor agreed but later moved abroad while another turned down the project. This forced her to rethink the format ultimately leading to the creation of the TV show in 2015.
Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif
Ekta Kapoor revealed that Priyanka Chopra had agreed to play the Naagin in the planned film whereas Katrina Kaif declined. Ekta recalled that she pitched the idea to Katrina Kaif who found the concept unusual and questioned if audiences would watch a film titled Naagin. Priyanka Chopra on the other hand had said yes but was moving abroad around that time which prevented the project from moving forward.

Ekta emphasized her respect for both actors. She praised Katrina Kaif for building a career from scratch in Hindi cinema despite not coming from a film family and admired Priyanka Chopra’s global achievements.

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More about Naagin
Although the film never happened Naagin became a massive success on television. The show launched in 2015 with Mouni Roy in the lead role. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon running for seven seasons and introducing new stars including Surbhi Jyoti (S3) Nia Sharma (S4) Surbhi Chandna (S5) Tejasswi Prakash (S6) and Priyanka Chahar Chaudhary for the current season.



The Naagin franchise highlights how Indian folklore can connect with modern audiences. Films like Nagina (1986) and Jaani Dushman (1979) explored similar myths but Ekta Kapoor’s vision brought the concept to a new generation through serialized storytelling.