Sayantani Ghosh is very excited to again play a snake-woman in Naagin – Bhagya Ka Zehreela Khel the Colors show. She was the original naagin of desi TV, playing the title role in the 2008 Zee TV show Naaginn – Vaadon Ki Agniparikshaa.
“Although I have done several other popular characters (Kumkum, Mahabharat and Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar) over the years, I am still remembered as the Naaginn girl. So it feels nice that life has taken a 360-degree turn, getting me back to where I first started.”
“The best thing is that I am playing the main character in the show. Maanyata’s revenge saga drives the narrative forward. This was one of the reasons why I agreed to be a naagin again. I was just bowled over by the script.”
“I have got lots of praise for my early efforts, even from critics. Normally you do get some negative feedback, but touchwood, everything has been positive so far.”
So how different is the naagin scale now?
“A decade ago, we would shoot with real snakes. Today, we have much grander VFX (graphics), providing a larger than life digital treat. Also, producer Ekta Kapoor is raising the bar of her Naagin franchise with every outing.”
“The story is also proceeding faster than before.”
Sayantani, who is also part of Sanjivani 2, has no problem playing a mother to Jasmin Bhasin. “I have done that before in Naamkaran as well. Also, given our supernatural genre format, naagins never age. They always look glamorous and attractive on-screen.”
“Luckily, TV too has now passed the phase where playing mom on screen was an issue.”
Naagin has also given Sayantani a chance to work with her original Naaginn co-star Shalin Bhanot again. “We just took off on set from where we left years back. Shalin has an important place in my heart and mind. I guess you tend to band together with folk with whom you have started.”
Will he get more flashback scenes? “I sure hope so, for the fans had loved our chem (song) upfront. But these things are not in my hands.” His character was bumped off in the very first epi, setting the stage for her revenge, which she and her daughter Nayanthara (Jasmin) will seek from the evil Parekh clan.