Nagina (1986)

It's been entirely too long since I've sunk my teeth into some Bollywood horror. I became captivated by because of an incredible image from Nagina. Sridevi with a penetrating icy blue gaze. Her face, those eye, seduced me.

I watched this one sans-subtitles, as I'm often forced to do with these worldly acquisitions but it was surprisingly easy to follow. here's what I gathered. A man soon to be ensnared in an arranged marriage encounters a snake while on a horse drawn stroll with his fiance. The snake takes a liking to him and hitches a ride on the back of the carriage. Soon after a mysterious beautiful woman enters his life. Her beauty puts him under a spell and after a few song and dance numbers, they're in love. He breaks it off with the other girl, which devastates both his and her family. Despite his mother's refusal to give her blessing, he marries her anyway, and everything's going swimmingly until a wicked snake charmer comes to town and informs the mother than Sridevi is actually a shape shifting she-snake and the real reason for marrying her son is to avenge the death of her late snake-husband who was killed as a result of biting him when he was a child. That part kinda lost me. In the end she falls in love despite their interspecies differences.

 This horror fantasy only barely counts as horror at all. The fantasy elements take over and of course the signature Bollywood love story. I've taken issue with this redundancy in the past. The need to interrupt a perfectly interesting narrative for a song (or ten). While I enjoy it in small doses, it's never really in small doses. It's sprinkled generously throughout a 2.5 plus hour long movie. In the West we have the musical genre, but in Bollywood all genres submit to the musical format with no exception. It's something I'll never fully understand, and that's ok. Its not my culture. Perhaps the only reason it's so noticeable to me is because I'm mostly watch Bollywood Horror and the two things never quite seem to match. In 'Nagina', there is ONE musical number that needed to be there and that's Sridevi's exotic snake dance.

She must have broken some records with this one. The choreography is insane. Sridevi in general has a surreal beauty that is truly mesmerizing...

The film is largely carried by the star power of Sridevi. Her face and movement accompanied by masterful photography infuses 'Nagina' with visual saccharine. At times the wide shots and flooding of lights is reminiscent of Suspiria...

And other moments benefit from a lack of color. Shrouded in a cloud of mystery as if it were Black Narcissus...

This wouldn't be a worthy review without noting the wardrobe choices...

And last but not least...

This occurrence.



As mild as it is in the genre, Nagina may be my favorite Bollywood horror to date. It spoke to my aesthetic and was shockingly engaging for a no-subtitles movie. It had a feminine quality that Bandh Darwaza and Purana Mandir didn't share. With the Halloween season upon us I may finally indulge in the seminal, Veerana which has somehow evaded me for all of these years.

I'm getting a later start this year than the last few. Generally my horror marathon is in full swing by the first week in September. And as some of you may have noticed, it's my most active time of year here on Atomic Caravan. I'll try to keep up with that trend and deliver some delectable spooks for your viewing and reading pleasure.