Snakes In The Living Room!I can’t believe this that our desi news channels have no clue about geographic locations in

various cities. Take for example, early in the week, India Today news channel’s Breaking News

ticker informed us about the fire in Mr. Shekhar Bajaj’s residence in Maker Towers in Nariman

Point! When I shared that with a What’s App group of my school friends I was corrected that it

was Cuffe Parade and one of my classmates lived there. I don’t know if India Today corrected

their mistake or not, but I do know one thing that the news desks of these channels should be

better equipped with area maps and location prompters for this isn’t the first time, I am sure.

At primetime, our channels and content providers are obsessed with naags and naagins. Sure

Indian mythology and folklore abounds in tales like Nagmandala, a play written by Girish

Karnad about a shape changing snake, which was never meant to titillate the audiences, but

had a more reasoning tone. Or Naagarjun Ek Yoddha which narrates that unknown tale from

the Mahabharat about Arjun’s tryst with Takshak the king of the naags. The series is inspired

by a reference to Naag Lok in the Mahabharata, where Arjuna married Ulupi, a Naga

princess, who saved him when he was cursed by the Vasus for killing Bhishma through

foul means. The story is virtually unknown in Indian mythology. The series moves back

and forth between present day and the Mahabharat age and has a cast of A list actors like

Rajesh Khera, Shruti Ulfat, Mrunal Jain and Manish Wadhwa.

Since reptiles and snakes in particular are a means to invoke thrills, horror and excitement, Ekta

Kapoor seems to have capitalised on the Naagin franchise and has made it Weekend

Primetime’s hottest property on Colors. A few weeks ago, she came back with Naagin 2. The

cast of course remains more or less the same, and the formulaic tale of vengeance, love and

thrills continues. Mouni Roy, Ashhka Goradia, Sudha Chandran and Kamalika Guha Thakurta

continue their tryst with the supernatural reptilian fantasy. Although not for the erudite

viewers, Naagin was one of the highest rated shows on Indian television and won

numerous awards.

It’s not just the GEC channels who have taken to the ichchadari naagin plot. SAB TV a humour

laced family channel has Ichcha Pyari Naagin. It is set in a land called Naagistan populated

mostly by Ichhadhaari Naags and Naagins, a pleasant lot, barring the odd vicious one.

One day, while watching a TV show, they realize that earthlings have a negative image

in their minds about snakes, that they are negative, vengeful creatures who are only

out to harm or bite them. They decide that they must come up with a way to change

this misperception. So they send their emissary Ichcha a vivacious, cheerful naagin.

But even here lurks a back story of vengeance.

Production houses and their storytellers are increasingly resorting to naagins as the new

avenging scarlet woman and some introduce the reptile track for TRPs and eyeballs. Sasural

Simar Ka was one such show that that used the ichchadari naagin to prop up the viewer

interest.

Watch out, there’s are Naags and naagins in your living room!