Kanika
Mann has always been known for pushing boundaries with her choices, but her latest role in Naagin 7 marks one of the boldest transformations of her career so far. From playing largely positive, girl-next-door characters on television, the actor has now stepped into uncharted territory as TV’s first-ever icchadhaari dragon. The character has instantly sparked curiosity among fans, not just for its mythical appeal but also for the emotional depth it promises. In an exclusive conversation with Telly Talk India/Zoom, Kanika opened up about the layered nature of her role, the emotional journey behind it, and why she believes the dragon is much more than a supernatural entity.
Kanika Mann does not want to reduce her character to just 'dragon' aspect
Speaking about the impact her character brings to the story, Kanika shared, “Dragon kaisi hai aur uski (Naagin) life mein kya bhoochaal laayegi, to woh main yeh bahut zyada nahi bata paaungi. Lekin dragon kya bhoochaal la raha hai, woh hum episodes mein dekh rahe hain. The people are connected to dragon since day one.”
(Translation: What kind of dragon she is and what upheaval she will bring into Naagin's life, I won’t be able to reveal much about that. But what kind of storm the dragon is creating, we are already seeing that in the episodes. People have been connected to the dragon since day one.)
Kanika was quick to point out that reducing the character only to its dragon identity would be unfair. According to her, the role carries far more emotional weight than what meets the eye. She explained, “Main sach bataaun, mujhe to bura lagta hai seedha yeh dragon ke baare mein baat karna. Kyunki uske alawa, this character has so much to play, so much to show in terms of emotions. Bahut multilayered character hai. Aap dekhoge to bahut depth hai iske character mein.”
(Translation: What more will I bring after this? Honestly, I feel bad talking only about the dragon. Because apart from that, this character has so much to play, so much to show emotionally. It’s a very multilayered character, and you will see a lot of depth in it.)
Kanika gives deets about her character's back story
Describing her personality traits, Kanika added that the character is far from impulsive or loud and said she is very restrained and very controlled. She takes every step thoughtfully.
What truly drew Kanika to the role, however, was the back story behind how the character becomes a dragon.“Ab woh dragon kaise bani? Uske peeche ek bahut interesting journey hai. Jisse main, main to usi pe sign karke aayi. Mujhe laga, wow, yeh ek journey apne aap mein bahut khoobsurat journey hai.”
(Translation: How she became a dragon has a very interesting journey behind it. I signed the show because of that journey. I felt it was beautiful in itself.)
Drawing parallels with real life, Kanika reflected on emotional evolution and said that
Everyone’s life has ups and downs, and because of that, we become different kinds of people. Sometimes angry, sometimes kinder. These changes happen. Emotions generate within us and form a version of who we are. That’s it.
Concluding her thoughts, Kanika explained the larger-than-life presentation of the character. She stated, “Ab usko humne ek grandeur diya hai, because it’s a folklore - naagin ka roop diya hai. Usko dragon ka roop diya hai. It’s just the emotions jinko ek grand level pe dikhaya gaya hai.”
(Translation: We have given it grandeur by presenting it as a folklore - as naagin and as a dragon. It’s simply emotions shown on a grand level.)Watch full interview here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQg0w9gfnkw
Naagin 7 is constantly on top of the TRP charts, with fans tuning in for the exciting supernatural journey. With Dragon's back story being revealed the focus in near future, the ratings will surely skyrocket.