Nikhil Dwivedi’s Naagin franchise to be helmed by Lapachhapi director Vishal Furia

Actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi has announced that Vishal Furia will be the director of his next production, a three-film franchise themed on the icchadhari naagin, mythical shape-shifting cobras of Indian folklore.

Furia made his debut in 2017 with the acclaimed and successful Marathi film Lapachhapi, which starred Pooja Sawant. 

According to an official statement from the makers, the scale of the franchise will be 'monumental'. "The film will feature top stars and will be a love story, heavy on VFX and special effects. He has always been one of the most commercial makers in Bollywood and with Naagin too, it will be no different. He wants to set a different standard for mytho-dramas, designing this project on an international scale [sic],” read the statement.

Dwivedi is in talks with a top actress for the lead role, and announcement in this regard will be made once everything is in place, the statement read.

Furia was one of the directors in the Hindi web-series Criminal Justice along with Tigmanshu Dhulia. He recently made a horror film in Marathi, Bali, which stars Swwapnil Joshi. Earlier this year, the filmmaker announced the project Chhori, a Hindi remake of Lapachhapi, which will see Nusrat Bharucha play the titular role.