Did you know that Indian TV serials have this unique ability to make you uneasily-cringing-at-the-corner-of-your-seat-but-you-still-wonder-at-the-creativity-level-as-man-this-is-not-work-of-a-human? Well, now you know.
And while some just stop at UFO-esque thaalis that defy the laws of physics, the supernatural and sci-fi genres can’t NOT be a sore for sight eyes. (See what I did there?)
From women who are snakes down the waist, to women who have snakes growing out of their heads, Indian daily soaps have done it all. But they haven’t done it without making an impression on my mind. No, however much I try I cannot, mark, CANNOT, get the photoshop and graphic animation skills out of my mind. Don’t take my word for it, as here are 8 Hindi TV shows which had absolutely no idea when they were creating vicious monsters.
1. The (never-ending, shape-shifting) Naagin franchise
Naagin is the TV show that comes to mind almost immediately when we think of desi supernaturalism.
Obviously, where else can you find the iconic icchadhaari naagin trope that has a beautiful woman shapeshifting into… a beautiful woman with a tail. That’s it. That’s the transformation. And a tail that looks NOTHING like a tail, but a stack of sponges.
Or just two women in the process of draping a saree. Can you see the pallu lying behind them? As soon as this sari is draped, the world will get rid of the pandemic as look Naagin-the-superwoman has arrived.
I love the intricate details of Mouni Roy’s face turning into a naagin. It’s beautiful how they have left subtle hints for us to guess what’s real and what’s not. Such organic, old-school photoshop.
2. Baalveer
A show with a Hercules-esque story, Baalveer has been one of the most cringe-worthy TV serials ever made. If the plotline wasn’t cute enough, wait till you look at the graphics. From the dust swirling around the protagonists when they dhishoom-dhishoom, to the villains tuned down from Avengers, nothing looks even *this* close to real.
IDK what this was supposed to be, but this floor-is-lava-hitting-rock monster figure does no justice when seen in live-action either.
3. Aladdin: Naam Toh Suna Hoga
While the makers tried to create a desi version of Aladdin, they made the plot so convoluted and unnecessarily stretched that it just… bleh. I will leave it here. IDK why would they want to turn Aladdin into a werewolf, but tada! They did. Here is the result:
Not convinced? Neither was I. Poor boy just wanted a magic lamp. And a genie. Werewolf… wh…why?
Talking of genies, a particular episode had the protagonist cute n’ clumsy genie turn into a mighty one, that it’s supposed to be. But I think the makers forgot this was a live human show and not a 3D animated version. Not that it would’ve looked pretty as a Disney feature as well. Instagram filters have better animated creepy stuff.
4. Hero: Gayab Mode On
I would like to call this show Guardians Of The Galaxy gone wrong. Except for Star-Lord’s Element Gun, we have someone with an alias name ‘Hero’ who gets his hands on a ring that makes him *powerful* (Lord of the Rings?). The makers went over the board with the editing championship, as we see an alien Raavan lit up with neon lights. Diwali is back.
This cute monster was pretty with its lungi. I waited for it to start dancing on Lungi Dance but it didn’t. Sigh.
5. Nazar
The makers of this show were so high during their ideation meeting that they accepted all suggestions of someone on the board meeting. I bet they must be a fan of Greek mythology (or they just read too much Percy Jackson).
This is our desi Medusa. Except for the bridal outfit, everything about Medusa remained the same. I stan Nazar mythology over Greek.
And a two-headed Priya Malik. I can hear her saying, “Mujhe ek nahin do sir chahiye.“
6. Dayan
This is basically a poster for a chapter on electromagnetic forces. Or a human version of a defibrillator that gives shocks to people. And do you notice the chhipkali hanging at the aa ki maatra of Dayan?
7. Kavach
I wouldn’t say much about the poster other than that it looks like a poster we used to make when we had bad editing skills, but tera bhai horror movie banayega.
8. Ye Jaadu Hai Jinn Ka
Observation #1: A wedding video of 90s ki shaadi with baharon phool barsao playing in the background.
Observation #2: Desi Harry Potter reached the Temple Run destination and how.
Ab maine sab kucch dekh liya hai, BRB getting my eyes stabbed.