Forget the ghosts and vampires — Bollywood’s Halloween 2026 belonged to a shape-shifting serpent from 1986. Janhvi Kapoor Halloween 2026 celebrations turned into one of the most talked-about celebrity moments of the year after the actress dressed up as her late mother Sridevi’s legendary character from the film Nagina, recreating not just the look but the film’s signature poses and even its original promotional poster.
The pictures, shared on Janhvi’s Instagram on 31 October, instantly became the standout tribute of this year’s Halloween. It was not a spooky costume at all — it was a daughter paying tribute to her mother through cinema’s most iconic serpent-woman performance.
The look: pink silk, pearls and a recreated poster
Janhvi’s Janhvi Kapoor Sridevi tribute went far beyond wearing a costume. According to Indian media reports, she wore a custom-designed pink and ivory ensemble created by designer Nidhi Halani, paired with matching vintage jewellery, a maang-tika and a bindi — carefully echoing Sridevi’s famous appearance as Rajni, the ichchadhari naagin who can take human form.
But the recreation did not stop at the outfit. Janhvi restaged some of the film’s most recognisable visuals and produced an elaborate recreation of the original Nagina promotional poster, bringing back memories of the 1986 blockbuster for a whole generation of fans.
She also enlisted her friends to play the other key characters. Social media personality Orry (Orhan Awatramani) stepped into the role originally played by the late Rishi Kapoor, while photographer Vaishnav Praveen portrayed Amrish Puri’s menacing snake-charmer character, Bhairo Nath.
Sharing the photographs, Janhvi wrote: “Happy Halloweeeeeny… had to recreate one of the most iconic movie moments everrrrr…” Explaining her choice, she added: “So much of Halloween has become about dressing up as your favourite characters and pop culture moments. Sometimes they’re spooky, sometimes they’re funny, and sometimes it’s a tribute. And who could possibly be more iconic than Mumma, Rishi uncle and Amrish sir!!”
Why Nagina still matters
To understand why this costume struck such a nerve, you have to know what Nagina means to Indian cinema. Released in November 1986 and directed and produced by Harmesh Malhotra, the Nagina 1986 film starred Sridevi as Rajni, a shape-shifting serpent woman who marries Rajiv (Rishi Kapoor) while seeking revenge for the death of her mate. Amrish Puri played the villainous snake charmer who hunts her.
The film became the second-highest-grossing Indian film of 1986 and went on to become a cult classic, with Sridevi’s performance — and the song “Main Teri Dushman, Dushman Tu Mera” — permanently etched into Bollywood history. For many viewers, it remains the defining fantasy film of its era.
The tribute also carries a deeply personal weight. Sridevi died on 24 February 2018 in Dubai at the age of 54, just months before Janhvi made her Bollywood debut with Dhadak in July 2018. Nearly every milestone of Janhvi’s career since has been publicly linked to her mother’s legacy, and this Halloween recreation was perhaps the most visual and heartfelt of those gestures yet.
The internet declares a winner
The reaction was immediate and overwhelmingly warm. Janhvi’s sister Khushi Kapoor — who, according to the Filmfare Halloween roundup, dressed as Wonder Woman this year — commented “You won Halloween” with heart-eye emojis.
Bollywood joined in too. Kareena Kapoor Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Sanya Malhotra, Ananya Panday and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar were among the industry figures who reacted to the pictures, Bollywood Hungama reported.
Janhvi’s Janhvi Kapoor Instagram Halloween post also confirmed something fans love about her: she understands exactly why her mother’s films still live in the public imagination. Rather than copying a Western horror cliché, she chose a look that connected her generation’s costume culture with one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable screen roles.
She was not the only Bollywood star to make headlines this Halloween — Priyanka Chopra channelled Kylie Jenner’s “King Kylie” era while celebrating with Nick Jonas and their daughter, and several other celebrities shared their own creative costumes. But it was Janhvi’s serpent-woman tribute that dominated the conversation, proving once again that in Indian popular culture, nostalgia done with love beats shock value every time.
For more Bollywood updates, keep following our Showbiz section and read our coverage of Bigg Boss 20.
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