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Bollywood News Updated Jul 5, 2026

Reena Roy Reveals She Was Not First Choice for Iconic 'Naagin' Role

Reena Roy revealed on "The Kapil Sharma Show" that she was not the first choice for the iconic film 'Naagin'. Before her, leading ladies like Rekha and Asha Parekh had rejected the role. Despite her mother's opposition, Roy accepted the role because she found the subject unique. The film became a blockbuster hit in 1976 and elevated her to stardom.

When Reena Roy revealed that she was not the first choice for 'Naagin'

Mumbai, July 5

Veteran actress Reena Roy once revealed that she was not the first choice for the iconic movie 'Naagin'.

As she appeared on "The Kapil Sharma Show," Reena Roy revealed that before she came on board, the makers had approached a lot of leading ladies of the time, including Rekha and Asha Parekh.

"All the heroines had rejected 'Naagin'. They went to Rekha ji, they went to Asha Parekh, all the leading ladies of the time. Then they came to me since they knew I could dance well," shared Reena Roy.

She added that even her mother was not in favour of her doing the role. "You are killing people. Why are you doing this role", her mother had said.

However, Reena Roy was convinced that it was a good subject, different, so she had to do it.

During the fun interaction, the actress further revealed that after "Naagin," people even started getting scared of her.

Backed and directed by Rajkumar Kohli, under the banner of Shankar Movies, the project featured Reena Roy in the title role, along with a star-studded ensemble cast with Sunil Dutt, Feroz Khan, Jeetendra, Sanjay Khan, Rekha, Mumtaz, Vinod Mehra, Yogeeta Bali, Kabir Bedi, and Anil Dhawan in pivotal roles.

"Naagin" is believed to be inspired by François Truffaut's 1968 French film "The Bride Wore Black," which itself was based on Cornell Woolrich's 1940 novel of the same name.

The film was also later remade in Tamil with the name "Neeya?". The 1979 release starred Sripriya in the leading role.

The memorable tunes of "Naagin" have been scored by the composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

The project turned out to be a blockbuster hit at the box office and became the highest-grossing film of 1976.

It was only after the massive success of "Naagin" that Reena Roy gained the status of a star.

— IANS

Reader Comments

Rahul R

Can't imagine any other actress doing the role. Reena Roy owned it completely! Her dance and expressions were perfect. The whole cast was amazing but she was the soul.

Arjun K

Interesting how even her mother was against it. Shows how strong she was in her conviction. That snake dance scene was iconic! 🐍

Michael C

Never knew Naagin was inspired by a French film! That's a fun trivia. The music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal is still so memorable even today.

Kavya N

Hmm, interesting story but honestly, I wish they had also asked her about her experience working with such a huge star cast. Rekha, Sunil Dutt, Jeetendra... what a lineup! She must have learned so much.

Siddharth J

This is why you should never blindly follow trends. The movie had a unique concept at that time. Reena Roy took a risk and it paid off big time. She became a star overnight!

Lisa P

The fact that people got scared of her after the movie shows how powerful her performance was. Classic Bollywood magic ✨

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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