# Nagin (1976 film)
**Nagin** (नागिन, "female serpent") is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language supernatural fantasy horror film produced and directed by Rajkumar Kohli under the Shankar Movies banner, in which a shape-shifting female snake takes human form to avenge the killing of her mate by a group of hunters.[1](https://moviesandmania.com/2015/01/05/nagin-1976-indian-hindi-horror-film-overview-cast-plot-reviews/) • [2](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Nagin?hl=en_US&id=FDAD48A7466A662AMV) It was released on 19 January 1976, runs about three hours, and became one of the biggest commercial successes of its year.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074949/) • [4](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-50-years-of-nagin-reena-roy-sunil-dutt-jeetendra-rekha-starrer-sets-the-trend-in-hindi-cinema-40111958.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 19 January 1976, India; Hindi language; runtime 3 hours (180 minutes)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074949/) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976) |
| Director and producer | Rajkumar Kohli, under the Shankar Movies banner[1](https://moviesandmania.com/2015/01/05/nagin-1976-indian-hindi-horror-film-overview-cast-plot-reviews/) • [2](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Nagin?hl=en_US&id=FDAD48A7466A662AMV) |
| Music | Laxmikant-Pyarelal; lyrics by Verma Malik[6](https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/film-poster-for-nagin-amar-arts-artist/ywFEprdhUlki0A?hl=en) |
| Lead cast | Reena Roy (Nagin), Sunil Dutt (Professor Vijay), Jeetendra (Nag), Feroz Khan (Raj), Rekha (Sunita), Mumtaz (Rajkumari)[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976) |
| Box office | Net gross of 35,000,000 rupees, verdict "Super Hit"; ranked third among 1976 Hindi releases by one tally, while a contemporary retrospective calls it the biggest grosser of 1976[7](https://www.keepalivebollywood.com/boxofficebollywood.php?year=1976&yr=1970-1979) • [8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/remembering-nagin-director-rajkumar-kohli-tremendous-ear-hit-music/) |
| Legacy | Spawned the revenge-of-the-snake-woman genre in commercial Hindi cinema; remade in Telugu and Tamil, and again by Kohli himself in 2002[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/remembering-nagin-director-rajkumar-kohli-tremendous-ear-hit-music/) • [1](https://moviesandmania.com/2015/01/05/nagin-1976-indian-hindi-horror-film-overview-cast-plot-reviews/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story rests on a myth in which cobras of a certain age can assume human form.[1](https://moviesandmania.com/2015/01/05/nagin-1976-indian-hindi-horror-film-overview-cast-plot-reviews/) A male and a female snake, in their human shapes, are in love. While hunting, a party of friends kills the male serpent, believing the cobra was about to attack a woman.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976) The enraged female identifies the killers from the images recorded in her dying mate's eyes and begins to murder the six men one by one, each time assuming a human disguise.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976)
Her victims fall through deception as much as force. She kills Kiran quickly, then seduces Rajesh by taking the form of his fiancée Rita.[9](https://memsaabstory.com/2012/01/15/nagin-1976/) In the climax she dies before killing Vijay, falls from a balcony, and the film ends with her reuniting with her beloved in the afterlife.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qotTbL0XTJs)
## Cast and crew
The film carries a large ensemble cast. [Reena Roy](https://www.edgepedia.org/reena-roy) plays the title role of the female serpent, with [Sunil Dutt](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunil-dutt) as Professor Vijay, the hunter who recognizes her plot and tries to stop her.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976) [Jeetendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeetendra) plays Nag, the male serpent; Feroz Khan plays Raj; Rekha plays Sunita; Mumtaz plays Rajkumari; and the friends circle is filled out by Sanjay Khan as Suraj, Vinod Mehra as Rajesh, Kabir Bedi as Uday, and Anil Dhawan as Kiran, with Yogeeta Bali as Rita.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976) • [9](https://memsaabstory.com/2012/01/15/nagin-1976/) Supporting roles include Premnath as the sage, Ranjeet as a good samaritan, Aruna Irani as a dancer, and Jagdeep as a snake charmer.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976) • [6](https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/film-poster-for-nagin-amar-arts-artist/ywFEprdhUlki0A?hl=en)
The screenplay is credited to Jaggi Rampal and Charandas Shokh, with the story by [Rajendra Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajendra-singh) 'Atish' and dialogues by Inder Raj Anand; Baldev Singh handled the cinematography.[11](https://www.liberfilm.com/en/titles/2265345/nagin-1976)
## Music
The soundtrack was composed by the duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal, with lyrics by Verma Malik.[6](https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/film-poster-for-nagin-amar-arts-artist/ywFEprdhUlki0A?hl=en) Playback singers included [Lata Mangeshkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/lata-mangeshkar), Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor, and [Suman Kalyanpur](https://www.edgepedia.org/suman-kalyanpur).[12](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/nagin-3/cast/) The most enduring song is Lata Mangeshkar's "Tere Sang Pyar Main Nahin Todna", sung with [Mahendra Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahendra-kapoor), which introduced Reena Roy's snake-woman persona on screen and, in the words of the film journalist Subhash K. Jha, catapulted her to instant stardom.[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/remembering-nagin-director-rajkumar-kohli-tremendous-ear-hit-music/) • [13](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/nagin-736519.html) Reena Roy later said that nothing in her career, or Kohli's, equaled the craze of *Nagin*.[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/remembering-nagin-director-rajkumar-kohli-tremendous-ear-hit-music/)
## Box office and reception
Contemporary tallies place the film among the top earners of 1976. One box-office compilation lists a net gross of 35,000,000 rupees with a "Super Hit" verdict, ranking it third for the year behind *Dus Numbri* and *Laila Majnu*.[7](https://www.keepalivebollywood.com/boxofficebollywood.php?year=1976&yr=1970-1979) A retrospective on the director by Subhash K. Jha, an Indian film journalist, calls *Nagin* the biggest grosser of 1976; the two accounts differ, and the ranking depends on how grosses for the year are compiled.[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/remembering-nagin-director-rajkumar-kohli-tremendous-ear-hit-music/) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 6.2 out of 10.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976) The film received one award nomination on record, a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress in 1977.[14](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/nagin/2030081542) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074949/)
## Legacy
**Genre influence.** *Nagin* spawned an entire genre of commercial [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema), the revenge of the snake-woman.[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/remembering-nagin-director-rajkumar-kohli-tremendous-ear-hit-music/) Later films in the shape-shifting nagin mold followed, including *[Nagina](https://www.edgepedia.org/nagina-1986-film)* (1986) with Sridevi and *Jaani Dushman* (1979), which Kohli directed with almost the same cast.[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/remembering-nagin-director-rajkumar-kohli-tremendous-ear-hit-music/) • [15](https://epaper.hamaramahanagar.net/media/2025-04/pune22.pdf)
**Remakes and sources.** The revenge structure was reportedly inspired by [François Truffaut](https://www.edgepedia.org/francois-truffaut)'s 1968 French film *The Bride Wore Black*, itself based on Cornell Woolrich's 1940 novel of the same name.[2](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Nagin?hl=en_US&id=FDAD48A7466A662AMV) The film was remade in Telugu as *Devathalara Deevinchandi* (1977) with [Jayamalini](https://www.edgepedia.org/jayamalini) in the Nagin role, and in Tamil as *Neeya* with Sripriya.[1](https://moviesandmania.com/2015/01/05/nagin-1976-indian-hindi-horror-film-overview-cast-plot-reviews/) Kohli remade the story himself in 2002 as *Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani*, which fared poorly and drew negative reviews blaming the screenplay and direction.[1](https://moviesandmania.com/2015/01/05/nagin-1976-indian-hindi-horror-film-overview-cast-plot-reviews/)
The film remains available in India on streaming services, including the Goldmines Play Amazon Channel.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976)
## References
1. [Nagin (1976) Reviews and overview, Movies & Mania](https://moviesandmania.com/2015/01/05/nagin-1976-indian-hindi-horror-film-overview-cast-plot-reviews/)
2. [Nagin, Movies on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Nagin?hl=en_US&id=FDAD48A7466A662AMV)
3. [Nagin (1976), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074949/)
4. [50 years of Nagin, Dainik Jagran](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-50-years-of-nagin-reena-roy-sunil-dutt-jeetendra-rekha-starrer-sets-the-trend-in-hindi-cinema-40111958.html)
5. [Nagin streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/nagin-1976)
6. [Film poster for 'Nagin', Amar Arts, Google Arts & Culture](https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/film-poster-for-nagin-amar-arts-artist/ywFEprdhUlki0A?hl=en)
7. [Box Office Bollywood, 1976 rankings](https://www.keepalivebollywood.com/boxofficebollywood.php?year=1976&yr=1970-1979)
8. [Remembering the Nagin director Rajkumar Kohli, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/features/remembering-nagin-director-rajkumar-kohli-tremendous-ear-hit-music/)
9. [Nagin (1976), MemsaabStory](https://memsaabstory.com/2012/01/15/nagin-1976/)
10. [Nagin (1976) full movie, Goldmines Bollywood, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qotTbL0XTJs)
11. [Nagin (1976), LiberFilm](https://www.liberfilm.com/en/titles/2265345/nagin-1976)
12. [Nagin cast and crew, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/nagin-3/cast/)
13. [Nagin Movie (1976), Digit Binge](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/movies/nagin-736519.html)
14. [Nagin, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/nagin/2030081542/)
15. [Hamara Mahanagar epaper, April 2025](https://epaper.hamaramahanagar.net/media/2025-04/pune22.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 1970s › Released 1976 to 1979*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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