Actor-producer Shweta Tripathi is expanding her creative spectrum by announcing her first horror film, ‘Nava’, under her banner Bandarful Films, in collaboration with Kowatanda Films India. Written by Akash Mohimen, the film is an evocative, folklore-driven horror set against the haunting and visually arresting wetlands of the Sundarbans.
‘Nava’ marks Tripathi’s second production venture, following the queer drama ‘Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan’, which starred Tilottama Shome. The project reinforces her commitment to backing original, bold, and culturally rooted storytelling that takes creative risks.
The film’s narrative traces the journey of Tara, who returns to her ancestral home in the Sundarbans only to be drawn into a chilling, generation-old mystery. The story weaves together river gods, buried family secrets, and the fragile line between myth and memory, where folklore and fear coexist as a single, atmospheric world.
Speaking about her move into the horror genre, Shweta Tripathi noted that the film represents a significant shift in the kind of worlds she wants to explore:
“After ‘Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan’, which was rooted in love and identity, I felt an instinctive pull to explore a completely different emotional world. Horror, especially when woven with culture and folklore, has the power to move people in unexpected ways.”
Tripathi emphasized that the Sundarbans is more than just a setting; it is a living character within the script. “It’s alive, it breathes, it protects and it threatens,” she said, adding that as a producer, she wants to support stories that are layered and that stay with the audience long after the film ends.
Her partnership with Kowatanda Films India was described as natural, given their shared passion for meaningful and cinematic storytelling. With ‘Nava’, Tripathi continues her push to champion character-led Indian stories that challenge conventions while celebrating authenticity.
Key Highlights:
- Actor-producer Shweta Tripathi announced her first horror production, ‘Nava’, under Bandarful Films in collaboration with Kowatanda Films India, marking a shift in her creative focus.
- The film, written by Akash Mohimen, is set in the Sundarbans wetlands and follows a woman named Tara who returns to her ancestral home and uncovers a generation-old mystery involving river gods and family secrets.
- Tripathi stated that the Sundarbans acts as a “living character” in the script and that her goal as a producer is to support stories that take creative risks and blend folklore with fear.
- ‘Nava’ is Tripathi’s second production venture, following the queer drama ‘Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan’, reinforcing her commitment to original and culturally rooted storytelling.