Why not snakes, really?

Naag Mani (1991) is not listed in the Internet Movie database. It’s not entirely surprising, since the IMDB isn’t very good with snake movies, and the most immediately recognizable actor in the film is Kiran Kumar, better known around here as “That guy who looks a lot like Jackie Schroff.”
Kumar plays Trikaal, an evil tantric who has stolen the cobras’ magic gem, the Naag Mani of the title. Trikaal isn’t your average evil tantric; sure, he has magic powers and a pet falcon, but he dresses well, trims his mustache, and has a day job, as headman of a village of snake charmers, rather than meditating all day. If it weren’t for the old couple locked up in his dungeon, and his plans to use the naag mani to become the immortal ruler of the Three Worlds, no one would know he was an evil tantric at all.

No one except Shyam, that is. His foster father, a priest in the sacred city of Amarnath, panicked and killed a cobra, not realizing that it was really a silver disco suited naga king. As penance, the priest is charged with retrieving the naag mani from Trikaal. When asking for it doesn’t work, though, the priest is all out of ideas, and has to turn to Shyam for help.

Shyam’s plan for getting close to Trikaal is simple, stupid, but surprisingly effective; he throws himself in the river, pretends to drown, and hopes that a beautiful woman will come along to attempt mouth-to-mouth. Luckily for him, a beautiful woman comes along and attempts mouth-to-mouth. She is Nagina, Trikaal’s beautiful and not particularly evil daughter, who takes an immediate shine to him. When Shyam declares his intention to stay and work in the village, she offers to show him the ropes. Of snake charming.

Shyam sneaks into the dungeon, discovers the gem and its magical defenses, meets the kindly old couple being held there, and sets the guard on fire. Trikaal, an unusually perceptive villain, decides the new guy in town must be responsible, but after Nagina spins a story about Shyam saving her virtue, Trikaal instead appoints Shyam as the new dungeon guard. (Dungeon guard is apparently a coveted position in this village, as Shyam’s new job is greeted with a great deal of jealousy.)

While guarding the dungeon, Shyam meets Mohini, a cobra (and occasionally a beautiful woman) who explains that she keeps trying to bite Trikaal, but his magical charms protect him. The two decide to join forces, and the plot starts moving very quickly.

There isn’t really much more to say about Naag Mani. The film hits most of the major snake movie tropes: magic gem, evil tantric, dutiful wives, and devotion to Shiva solving all problems. Mohini breaks the mold a little; she doesn’t fall in love with a human, as she’s a happily married snake, and she’s much more direct than the usual cinematic snakewoman, preferring to bite people in the face rather than teach them valuable life lessons. Unfortunately, we don’t see much of Mohini; the scriptwriter seems more interested in the allegedly comic subplot about a hapless villager played by Satish Shah and his quest to win the heart of the village doctor’s sister. Still, this is a good, solid example of the snake movie genre.