Per Indian mythology, a normal cobra will become an Ichchadhari Naag or Naagin after 100 years of tapasya. After being blessed by Lord Shiva, they can take the form of any living creature, including humans, and can live for more than a hundred years without getting old. Ichchadhari Naag and Naagin have a gem called Naagmani, considered much more valuable than any precious stone. Legends tell of many people dying through snake bites when they try to steal the Naagmani. When a Naag or Naagin is killed, the image of its killer is captured in its eyes. The partner of that Naag or Naagin will take revenge on the killers by identifying them with the help of this image. Naags can take any form of their choice, specially during revenge time. They will go crazy and are forced to show their true form if they hear the been sound, a wind instrument used by sapera.
The legends of Ichchadhari Naags have been used as a plot basis for many comics and stories. The comic book superhero character Nagraj is also based on these legends. There is another famous Hindi comic character, Tausi, who was a male shape-shifting snake. Apart from these, the concept has been used for many children's short stories.
Many Bollywood films incorporate these legends, or the character of Nagraj, such as Nagin, Sridevi in the 1986 filmNagina, and Reena Roy in Nagin. In 2007, a television series called Naaginn began on Zee TV, in which Sayantani Ghosh played the role of an Ichchadhari Naagin. In 2015, a television series called Naagin began on Colors TV, starring Mouni Roy, Adaa Khan, Surbhi Jyoti, Anita Hassanandani, Nia Sharma, Jasmin Bhasin in the lead roles. In 2016, the soap operaIchhapyaari Naagin started, starring Priyal Gor in the lead role of a serpent. Another television series which has a shape-shifting serpent role is Nandini, which started airing on 23 January 2017. It is simultaneously aired in four different Indian languages: Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. Naagin was the first Ichchadhari Naagin Pakistani serial.
