Did Priyanka Chopra almost play Naagin on big screen? Ekta Kapoor says actor who agreed to the film ‘went to America’

Recently, Ekta Kapoor joined a podcast where she spoke about the success of the Naagin franchise on the small screen.

Producer Ektaa Kapoor recently revealed that she had been keen to develop a film based on the Naagin folklore rather than turning it into a television franchise. She shared that an actor had initially agreed to the idea, but later moved to the West. And many people on social media are convinced that she was hinting at Priyanka Chopra.

In the past, Ekta Kapoor had shared that she went to Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif with the idea of Naagin film.

Ekta Kapoor on Naagin franchise

Recently, Ekta joined a podcast posted on the YouTube channel of Usha Kakade Productions, where she spoke about the success of the Naagin franchise on the small screen.

Ekta said, “Mythology in India is deeply instilled in the people of this country. We grew up listening to these stories from our grandparents. Every kid in India knows that a naagin takes revenge. Yet, we watch movies like Batman and Superman, but we don’t care to show our Indian folklore on our screens – be it television or film.”

During the conversation, Ekta also walked down the memory lane, revealing that Naagin was originally conceived as a feature film.

“I first wanted to make a film called Naagin. I had even gone to two big stars with the story – one said yes, the other refused. The actress who said yes went off to America. It was at that time that I decided to make Naagin into a television show.”

Several social media users wondered if she is talking about Priyanka. one wrote, “I think she is talking about Priyanka”, while one mentioned, “She is talking about Priyanka.”

In the past, Ekta had shared that she went to Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif with the idea of the film.

“After The Dirty Picture, I decided to make Naagin as a film. I decided to take that concept to two actresses. I still remember, I went to Katrina and she told me, ‘After Dirty Picture, you want to make something pathbreaking’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I want to make Naagin.’ She looked at me and thought I had smoked something really nice. I think she wanted my dealer’s number, which of course is a joke. She was like, ‘Are you serious? You want to make something called Naagin in today’s time? Will people watch it?’ Then, I went to PC; it was around the time when she was going abroad,” Ekta had said in a discussion with Film Companion earlier.

About Naagin franchise

Naagin is one of Indian television’s most popular supernatural fantasy franchises. It is backed by Ektaa Kapoor. The series follows the tale of shape-shifting serpents (icchadhari naagins) who can transform into humans and are often driven by revenge or the duty to safeguard the mystical naagmani. Naagin 7 went on air on the small screen on December 27 last year. This season, the supernatural drama stars Priyanka Chahar Choudhary and Namik Paul as the leads, along with Eisha Singh, Alice Kaushik and Karan Kundrra in key roles.