Zee TV adds add variety to its primetime with supernatural show, Manmohini

Zee TV’s latest primetime offering is a fantasy/ supernatural tale of a sorceress and her unrequited love. Titled ‘Manmohini’, the show has been produced by LSD Films and is premiering today, November 27, 2018 at 7.30 pm. The show will air every Monday to Friday. 

‘Manmohini’ claims to break stereotypes about witches and present aspects of their persona never explored on Indian television. Set in Rajasthan, 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.  

Aparna Bhosle, Business Head, Zee TV, commented, “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.” 

Bhosle insisted that the objective was 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,” she added. 

According to Prateek Sharma, Producer of LSD Films, “Supernatural fantasy dramas are the flavour 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.” 

Elaborating on the preparations for the show, Sharma said, “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 fascinating locales of Rajasthan, some of them known to be haunted. To up the visual appeal, ‘Manmohini’ will have strong VFX work. 

‘Manmohini’ stars Reyhna Pandit in the titular role. Ankit Siwach is cast as Ram, while newcomer Garima Singh Rathore will essay the role of Siya. Vandana Pathak, Neeta Mohindra, and Vaishali Nazareth will also be seen in pivotal roles.