Once envisioned as a grand Bollywood spectacle, Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Naagin’ faced skepticism when she approached A-list stars like Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who questioned its potential in the crowded cinema landscape. Undeterred, Kapoor shifted gears to television, where the show turned into a phenomenal success, demonstrating that an engaging narrative can triumph over star power.
Ekta Kapoor once tried to mount Naagin as a feature film with Katrina Kaif or Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the lead. The plan never moved forward. Their reactions, she said, were priceless. Years later, the idea found life on television, where the supernatural drama grew into one of her most durable hits.
‘Naagin’ film plan and the pitch
Speaking to Film Companion, Kapoor recalled wanting to follow the success of ‘The Dirty Picture’ with something rooted in folklore but driven by a female star. “Not many people know this that after dirty picture I decide to make Naagin as a film. And I decided to take that concept to two actresses. I still remember I went to Katrina and told her about my idea. She said after dirty picture you want to make something path-breaking and I told her I am making Naagin. She looked at me and thought I had smoked up something really nice and I think she wanted my dealer’s number which of course is a joke.”
Kapoor said Kaif questioned the market. “But Katrina was like you want to make something like Naagin in today’s time. Will India watch?”She then approached Chopra Jonas. “Then I went to PeeCee and I think it was about that time she was going abroad. And she sounded interested. But after that I got so disillusioned when I herd both the girls in doubt about the Indian audience accepting it.”
Why Ekta Kapoor turned to television
Kapoor shifted gears. She believed television allowed a greater risk without attaching a film star. “I was like I want to make a show out of it, and then ‘Baahubali’ came at the same time. And we did Naagin on TV because we could take the risk, I had to have an attachment of a big star. The south doesn’t do that, they don’t need to go to a big name for taking that leap of faith. But I genuinely wanted one big actress to say yes and to make one 200 crore solo heroine film and break the barriers of the gender and take Indian folklore and everything else is history.”Now, the tv series went on to feature actors including Surbhi Jyoti, Mouni Roy, Anita Hassanandani, Karishma Tanna, and Adaa Khan.
