Since its debut in 2015, Naagin has remained one of Indian television’s most talked-about shows. Created by filmmaker Ektaa Kapoor, the supernatural drama quickly became a TRP juggernaut but also drew flak for its unrealistic plots and accusations of being “regressive.” Now, actor Arjun Bijlani, one of the original leads of the series, has spoken out in defence of the show, even comparing it to global superhero franchises like Spider-Man.
Arjun Bijlani defends Naagin
In an interview with Siddharth Kanan, Arjun asserted that Naagin was not regressive and highlighted its popularity across India and said, “It was big not just in small cities, but even in Mumbai. It got 6 TRP when other shows were running at 2. In fact it wrapped up at 5. It was bigger than my previous Miley Jab Hum Tum. After Naagin, life was a different story. I’d like to think season 1 was the best one.”
Reacting further to the criticism, the actor said, “Regressive is when you show all these things in a realistic story. Naagin was marketed as a fantasy fiction. What is Spider-Man? Is it real? Is Nagin real? It’s not real. So, where was the flak? The entire world was watching it. TRPs proved that. It was criticised by only those who were sitting at home without any work. There isn’t anyone in this world who won’t be criticised, be it Virat Kohli, Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan. But who cares? You have to do your job and keep moving.”
About Naagin
The supernatural saga, revolving around shape-shifting serpents, was penned by Neha Singh and Mukta Dhond and directed by Santram Varma. The first season featured Mouni Roy, Arjun Bijlani, and Adaa Khan in lead roles, followed by Mouni again in season two alongside Karanvir Bohra. Each subsequent season introduced new leads, including Surbhi Jyoti, Anita Hassanandani, Pearl V Puri, Nia Sharma, Jasmin Bhasin, Surbhi Chandna, Sharad Malhotra, Tejasswi Prakash, Simba Nagpal, and Mahek Chahal.
Ektaa Kapoor recently announced Naagin 7 on Instagram, calling fans of the franchise her “most loyal and probably the ones who troll me the most.” She confirmed the new season with the caption: “So for all you guys here it is—Naagin 7.” The cast is yet to be revealed.
Arjun Bijlani’s upcoming show
Apart from revisiting his Naagin journey, Arjun is gearing up for his new reality game show Rise & Fall. Hosted by Ashneer Grover, the show also stars Dhanashree Verma, Kiku Sharda, Kubbra Sait, and Nayandeep Rakshit among 12 contestants. It is set to premiere on Amazon MX Player on September 6.
