You all must have seen the X-men movies, where they largely discuss mutation. Well three out of six sisters in Pune, India are affected by mutation too. A mutation of a very rare kind. They are known as the ‘Werewolf Sisters’.

This rare kind of genetic mutation affects just one in a billion people. However, in a very quirky state of fate, three sisters have been blighted by this condition known as the werewolf syndrome, or medically known as Hypertrichosis universalis, where they are covered from head-to-toe in thick hair.



Savita, 23, Monisha, 18 and 16-year-old Savitri Sangli, inherited this disorder from their father.

In this condition, the cells which normally switch off hair growth in unusual areas, like the eyelids and forehead, are left switched on. This means that the girls have had abnormal hair growth on their bodies and even their faces, affecting their eyebrows, nose and forehead. This gives them the appearance to have a beard. They have to use a special cream every day, otherwise the hair will quickly return. The youngest of the three, Savitri is till virtually covered in hair.

The three Sangli sisters along with their worried mother hope that one day they might be able to get rid of this excessive hair with help of laser treatment. But for that they will need help to raise the money. Despite the devastating effects of the syndrome, the siblings still dream of a day when they might get married.



The Laser surgery would cost 350,000 Indian rupees, or about $7,000 US Dollars per girl. Obviously the family is not wealthy enough to be able to afford this treatment. An Indian documentary filmmaker Sneh Gupta is planning to make a film of the girls in order to help them raise enough funds for their treatment.



The girl’s 40-year-old mother, Anita Sambhaji Raut says that this disorder was passed on to the girls by their father, whom Anita was forced to marry at the young age of 12. Anita was being looked after her uncle and aunties after her parents passed away and they told her that is she refused to marry the man, they would kill her.

“It was only on the day of my marriage that I discovered what he was, (he) was hairy on his face, ears and body, that's when I found out…I was very young, I didn't know what kind of boy he was, he scared the hell out of me when he arrived at the altar. He's the groom, I am the bride, I had no idea what all that meant…I was only 12 when they forced me into marriage, and if you don't agree to marriage as a girl they will kill you off…I asked my mother-in-law why my daughters were born like this and she told me because their father is like this, at the time (as a baby) my daughter had little hairs all over her face.” – Anita.



Because theirs was an arranged marriage and she did not lay eyes on him until the wedding day, she had no idea he was suffering from the condition himself.

Anita and her daughters are now desperate to fund laser surgery that will help to finally remove the curse of excess hair and allow the girls to lead normal lives. In their small village near Pune, central India, the Sangli have little prospects for marriage and the eldest Savita sometimes gets sent home from work when her hair begins to show.

“When I used to take her (Savita) out as a child, they used to shout here comes the beast, the witch, that's what they said…They keep her at work now for 10 to 15 days, and then after that they ask her to leave as soon as the hair starts showing through, that's what they do…I tell people this is the type of girl she is, hair grows on her face, she has to apply medicine, we must be honest with everybody.” – Anita.

In villages in India a woman does not have much prospects if she is not married and Anita is planning to try her best to get her daughters married. “If a good proposal comes in, I'll get her married. If nothing comes in she'll have to work and survive. As long as I am living I have to keep trying.”

“When I used to go to school the boys and the girls would shout, ‘hairy face’, ‘horrible looking’, ‘don't sit next to her’, that's how they behaved…Marriage is not an option for us, it's not likely to happen, who is going to marry us when hair keeps growing on our faces.” – Eldest sister, Savita.

Will the werewolf sisters get a normal life? Will any NGO or philanthropist come forward and help these girls turn from the cursed beast to princesses, so that they too could have a happily ever after?

(PHOTOS): Daily Mail