As Indians, most of us have grown up hearing folklore about witches. For generations, we’ve seen them as wicked, cunning practitioners of the occult. Are they the manifestation of our sub-conscious fears or do they exist somewhere in the dark alleys of India’s hinterlands? While we’ll never really know, just imagine all the drama that will unfold if a witch fell in love! Breaking stereotypes about witches and presenting aspects of their persona never explored on Indian television, Zee TV’s next primetime offering Manmohini will take audiences on a trip of edgy fantasy. It tells the story of an enchanting sorceress, her unrequited love, desire, obsession, revenge, re-birth and everything in between. Produced by LSD Films, Manmohini will premiere on 27th November 2018 and air every Monday to Friday at 7.30 pm on Zee TV.
Set against the vibrant canvas of Rajasthan, where every grain of the desert sand tells a story, the show will chronicle the saga of Manmohini, an unfulfilled soul who has been longing to reunite with her love Rana Sa for 500 years and comes back from the past to haunt his contemporary incarnation Ram and his wife Siya. The show captures Siya’s unconditional love for Ram and her spirited battle against an immortal force as fierce as Mohini in order to keep her man. In this unusual combat between two women, one a selfless modern day mortal and the other an obsessive, immortal spirit who resorts to the power of Bhura Jaadu to win back her love, audiences will find themselves rooting for both Siya and Mohini from time to time. Tune into Manmohini to find out who will emerge victorious in this war of love!
Aparna Bhosle, Business Head, Zee TV said, “Fantasy or supernatural thrillers find an instant connect as they offer viewers the relief of escapism. They transport audiences into an alternate reality away from the rigmarole of their daily routine. What sets Manmohini apart within the genre is that it is the first ever to explore the concept of Bhura Jaadu – a lesser known form of witchcraft that draws its power from the desert sands. The objective is not to propagate witchcraft or spread superstition but to tell a fascinating story of love against a surreal, larger-than-life backdrop. Mohini’s love for her man is deep and genuine, it is only her methods that are questionable. So, the audiences will alternate between empathising with her and rooting for Siya in their quest for Ram. With this differentiated offering, the idea is to add variety to our content mix and introduce a new flavour to our weekday primetime.”
Prateek Sharma, Producer of LSD films, said, “Supernatural fantasy dramas are the flavor of the season and this genre has always excited me. Apart from layers of fantasy, Manmohini, at its core, is a love story set against the backdrop of Bhura Jaadu. Viewers have been conditioned to perceiving a witch as fearsome and dreary but haven’t envisioned her in love. The show will present Mohini as a woman so helplessly in love that she resorts to witchcraft to win her love. We have gone to great lengths in researching for the show through rare scriptures and the folk-lore from Rajasthan that has references of the traditional Ghagra Paltan cult having practiced this form of witchcraft. As a result, we have been able to nuance our characters in terms of their styling, dialect, their mannerisms and their cultural sensibilities to ensure authenticity in our narrative. The canvas of the show gives us a lot of creative liberty to explore and experiment with riveting visuals of magic conjured from sand. To give the audiences a sense of authenticity, the show has been shot at some truly fascinating locales of Rajasthan, some of them known to be haunted. Manmohini is backed by strong VFX work that will make it visually spectacular. We feel honored to be associated with Zee TV and we hope to strengthen our association with the channel through this new intriguing offering.”
The ravishing Reyhna Pandit, who plays the role of the mystical Mohini plans to give the idea of witches a whole new definition. She said, “Mohini is not your stereotypical witch. She is a woman in love, desperate for reciprocation from her man. So, she isn’t to be mistaken for an evil spirit. There is integrity and sincerity in the way she loves Rana Sa and comes back to claim his reincarnation Ram who she believes is rightfully her’s. It is her methods of winning him over, through Bhura Jaadu, that are questionable. Witches are historically considered hideous and frightful and the look is usually not easy on the eyes. But, Mohini is unlike any of these, in fact, she is beautiful, powerful and her obsessive streak to get her true love will fascinate viewers and there will be times they will root for her even more than they root for Siya to win Ram. All these factors drew me to the character and I am very excited to bring alive a different side of witches and witchcraft to the television screen.”
The handsome Ankit Siwach, who will be seen as Ram said, “Manmohini will weave magic with its intricate maze of mystery, love, paranormal powers and above all, a gripping narrative. My character, Ram, is a young dynamic businessman from London with a royal linage, a king in his previous birth now reincarnated as an extremely affluent, polished young turk. The show will have flashbacks and shuffles between Ram’s previous birth and his present day while narrating the story of two women at war over him, Siya – a modern day mortal and the other an immortal spirit Mohini. He finds himself trapped in the web of Mohini’s love which changes the course of his life forever. A lot of hard work has gone into essaying this character and I am happy, excited and nervous all at once.”.
The fresh faced newcomer Garima Singh Rathore is excited to debut as a mainstream television actress with this show. She said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better debut on television than Manmohini and I have a lot of expectations from the show. My character, Siya, is a simple girl who loves her husband a lot and can go to any extent to save him from Mohini’s evil ploys. It is her devotion to Ram that will set her up in a war against Mohini – an immortal spirit who has returned from her husband’s previous life to haunt them with Bhura Jadu. The show is based in Rajasthan and I am originally from Jaipur. Hence, I could relate to a lot of elements and I hope that the viewers enjoy the show and appreciate me in the character of Siya.”
The show also features actors Vandana Pathak, Neeta Mohindra, Vaishali Nazareth and others in pivotal roles.
Will Siya’s affection or Mohini’s obsession emerge triumphant in this timeless battle of love?
To find out, watch Manmohini starting 27th November, Monday to Friday at 7.30 pm only on Zee TV