Apr 30, 2026 11:00am IST
Why Has Bollywood Abandoned “Naagin” Despite Previous Superhit Films And Huge Popularity On TV
“Game Of Thrones,” “House of the Dragon,” “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” “Peaky Blinders” the West is replete with examples of TV series that have been made into films. However, the only two TV shows to get movie adaptations in India are “Khichdi” and “Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain.”
Ektaa Kapoor’s “Naagin” franchise is one of the biggest success stories of Indian TV. However, we have not seen a single ‘Naagin’ film coming to theaters in the past decade. Circa 2026, Indian film buffs are discussing movies like “Ramayana,” “Varanasi,” “Mahakali,” and others based on mythology and fantasy. Bollywood made mega blockbusters like “Nagin” (1976) starring Reena Roy followed by “Nagina” (1986) still remembered for the song “Main Teri Dushman” featuring Sridevi and late Bollywood icon, Amrish Puri. So, why is the mythical magical gorgeous snake maiden missing from the big screen right now?
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Money does matter
Namik Paul, who plays the leading man in “Naagin 7” says budget is a key issue here. “Budgets can be prohibitive. It would take an insane amount of VFX, CGI to bring “Naagin” on the big screen. Indian films do not work with budgets of that scale. I really want “Ramayana” and “Varanasi” to work so that we can see more fantasy films in India. If these movies work, we can look ahead to splurge movies. Indian movie-goers are exposed to global standards in movie-making especially when it comes to fantasy-action films, so we cannot expect a subpar product to succeed. In TV, the scale is smaller and “Naagin” has a brand name so the success is consistent.”
Lack of Novelty
Karanvir Bohra, who was part of “Naagin” season two opines that the concept is done and dusted. He feels too many shows and films have been made on Icchadhari Naagins for that storyline to hook theatre-going audiences. “I admit there is a trend of making movies based on mythological characters right now. I am even doing a movie on Suryavanshi Agrasen, the patriarch of the Agrawal community, but he is not explored much in mainstream entertainment. Bollywood has seen Naag and Naagin movies. My grandfather produced “Naag Naagin” in 1989, so the concept is that old.” He further stressed that Naagin is a female-oriented concept and people have already seen ten seasons on TV.
The TV Vs Film Debate
In India, there is a clear division between TV and films. Talented actors from the small screen take years to bag a mid-sized role in a Bollywood movie. Adaa Khan, who is still adored as Shesha from “Naagin” season one says there is a difference in TV audience and one that watches films. “We cannot ignore this aspect. In the past decade, the “Naagin” shows were made and promoted for the small screen audience. I loved watching “Khichdi” in theaters but that was a comedy genre. It is easy to make those in comparison to a fantasy series like Naagin,” she shares. The actress also believes that “Naagin” as an entertainment concept is birthed by Bollywood. “Our series was also inspired by the movies of Reena Roy and Sridevi, the whole idea of an Icchadhari maiden and her quest for revenge. I hope Ekta Kapoor makes it one day for the big screen,” she adds.
So, while we have the brand power, people associated with the series believe that multiple factors need to fall in place for “Naagin” to be a big screen spectacle in the coming years. In 2025, producer Nikhil Dwivedi shared that his “Nagin” movie was not shelved as he shared a pic of the script. He told us, “We will begin the shoot from August-September in second half of 2026. Saket Chaudhary will be the director of the same.” In the past, he has directed films like “Hindi Medium,” “Pyaar Ke Side Effects” and was a writer on “Asoka”. The budget of the movie is around ₹80 crores.
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