Hisss (2010)

Based on the Far Eastern myth of the snake woman who is able to take on human form.

Director:

Jennifer Lynch

Writers:

Jennifer Lynch, Gulfam Khan (dialogue)

Stars:

Mallika Sherawat, Irrfan Khan, Jeff Doucette

Cast

Credited cast:
Mallika Sherawat	...	Snake Woman
Irrfan Khan	...	Vinkram Gupta
Jeff Doucette	...	George States
Divya Dutta	...	Maya Gupta
Raman Trikha	...	Rookie Navin
Mahmoud Babai	...	Snake Charmer / Dinesh (as Mahmood Babai)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Raj Bhansali	...	Snake charmer's son
Sunny Charles	...	Guide 1 / Abusive Father
Tony Ciccone	...	Narrator
Parvez Khan	...	Guard 4 (as Parvez Fazal Khan)
Govind Menon	...	Coroner
Sunita Rajwar	...	Drunken Guard's wife
Meenakshi Thakur	...	Snake Charmer's Wife

Storyline

Desperate brain cancer-ridden Caucasian George States, with only six months to live, decides to capture a male cobra with hopes of obtaining Nagmani from the shape shifting Naga female. For reasons that remain obscure throughout the film, this will not only cure his brain cancer but also make him immortal. He hires workers in the jungles of Natchi, Tamil Nadu, who witness the intimacy of the cobras, and capture the male, allowing the female to escape. George then holds the male cobra in a glass cage in the hopes that the female cobra will attempt a rescue, and he will then release it in exchange for the Nagamani. The region experiences horror and religious awakening after the enraged female cobra. With the image of its oppressor in its eyes, sheds its snake skin and takes on a female human form, setting out on its deadly mission of tracking down and destroying her mate's oppressor, and whoever else gets in her way, whether involved or not.

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Plot Keywords:

snake | snake woman | f rated | holi | cautionary tale | 

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Taglines:

She's sexy... venomous... and she'll swallow you whole...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India USA

Language:

English Hindi

Release Date:

22 October 2010 (India)

Also Known As:

Nagin: The Snake Woman

Filming Locations:

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Split Image Pictures,Venus Records & Tapes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Irrfan Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan for the lead male role.

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Connections

Referenced in Despite the Gods (2012)

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Soundtracks

Beyond The Snake
Performed by Dave Kushner and Shruti Haasan
Written by Dave Kushner, Frankie Perez and Shruti Haasan

User Reviews

Raw Violence

Snake goddess takes on a human form to save its mate from a dying westerner who believes her essence will cure his disease. She roams around the city looking for her mate, causing mayhem on the way.

The movie is beautifully shot with cultural clues very different from that of west. You need to be raised with the kind of folk lore this movie is based on to appreciate the mood and its implications. There are some erotic scenes that involves semi nudity along the way.

There's kind of a ruthlessness in the scenes when the snake goddess makes her attack. It seems more violent than western movie's violence that's mostly based on gun shooting.

It's an interesting movie to watch, and also enjoy the atmosphere of India at the same time.