Fantasy family drama gets real life inspi

Inspiration for a Hindi soap can come from the strangest of places. In the case of Zee TV's new show Naaginn…Waadon Ki Agniparikshaa, a 24/7 news channel was the spark behind the fire. Six months ago, Aroona Irani, the brain behind the serial and a television actor herself, was watching the news when she saw a story that seemed like perfect fodder for a family drama. "There was a female cobra waiting on the steps of this person's house so that she could bite him. The broadcast media had covered this extensively and I thought, 'Why not do something about this?'," Aroona said

Aroona pitched the idea to Zee and like most new initiatives, there was some initial skepticism. She said, "Now they are more confident and even I am sure of this idea. Naaginn... is a fantasy family drama and fantasy works in today's world." Punit Goenka, business head of Zee TV was also quite sure about the appeal of this new venture. "The concept of Naaginn and it's unfamiliarity with the masses has always been of intrigue with the Indian audiences and I am confident that they will take to this new show," he said.

Playing the lead in the show is the young Sayantani Ghosh, who also has a lead role in SaharaOne's Ghar Ek Sapna. Ask Sayantani if there was any conflict of interest and she says that it was not a problem with Sahara. "I had told them before signing for Naaginn..., so they were okay with it," she says. Aroona also confirmed this fact but she added that SaharaOne did not want Sayantani to do the show initially. "Later they were very supportive since I also produce Doli Saja Ke for them." Naaginn... has a weekend slot so it does not interfere with Sayantani's schedule with Sahara One.

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