Shweta Tripathi to star in, produce Sunderbans horror Nava
Shweta Tripathi is stepping into darker, wetter terrain — literally. The versatile actor, known for grounded performances across indie and mainstream projects, will both star in and produce a new horror feature titled Nava, set amid the eerie mangroves of the Sundarbans. This move cements her growing role as a storyteller off-camera as well as on it.
Why Shweta Tripathi chose horror: intent and vision
Shweta Tripathi has built a reputation for choosing textured, character-driven work. Her decision to tackle a horror film as a producer-actor comes from a desire to explore fear as more than jump scares — as a force tied to memory, place and legacy.
In interviews she’s described Nava as a story where fear arises from landscape and inherited secrets, not just spectacle. That lends the project the promise of atmospheric horror — the kind that lingers after the lights come back on.
What this means for her career
This is not a one-off experiment. Nava follows Shweta’s earlier production work and shows a deliberate pivot toward shaping the stories she wants to tell. Producing gives her influence over casting, crew choices and the film’s tone — important when dealing with region-specific folklore and sensitive cultural material.
The team behind Nava: collaborators and creative leads
The project brings together Indian and international independent filmmaking talent. Tokyo-based filmmaker Anshul Chauhan — expanding his Kowatanda Films banner into India — is producing the project in partnership with Shweta’s new banner, Bandarful Films. Industry notices point to a cross-border production approach, which could help the film balance local authenticity with global art-house sensibilities.
Bollywood outlets also report that the screenplay is written by Akash Mohimen, positioning Nava as an evocative blend of folklore, fear and emotional depth rather than a formulaic horror flick. Those creative choices suggest the film will prioritize story and setting over cheap shocks.
Setting matters: the Sundarbans as a character
One of the film’s most intriguing aspects is its setting. The Sundarbans — a labyrinth of tidal waterways, mangrove forests and shifting islands — offers unmatched cinematic potential for mood, isolation and myth. Films set in specific, richly described landscapes have the advantage of making environment itself feel alive; Nava appears designed to use the Sundarbans as a co-protagonist.
Reports describe the plot centring on Tara (the character Shweta will play), who returns to an ancestral home and becomes entangled in a generation-old mystery involving river gods, buried family secrets and the uneasy co-existence of myth and memory. That interplay between human grief and local belief systems is fertile ground for unsettling, thoughtful horror.
Tone and themes: folklore, memory and ecological unease
From available descriptions, Nava aims to mix folklore with an emotional throughline. Themes to watch for include:
- Inherited trauma — family secrets that ripple across generations.
- Landscape as memory — the Sundarbans keeping and shaping personal histories.
- Folklore vs. modernity — the clash between belief systems and contemporary lives.
- Ecological undercurrents — settings like the Sundarbans naturally invite environmental tension: isolation, rising waters and fragile human-nature relationships.
If handled well, these layers can elevate Nava from a genre entry to a haunting meditation on place and legacy. Early coverage suggests the creative team wants depth over cheap horror devices.
Production notes: banner, partnerships and what’s known
- Producer / Lead: Shweta Tripathi will star as the lead and produce the film under her banner Bandarful Films. This marks another step in her producing journey after earlier projects.
- Partner: Kowatanda Films India (Anshul Chauhan) is involved, indicating a co-production model that blends indie sensibilities with international experience.
- Writer: Industry reports list Akash Mohimen as the writer, suggesting a script rooted in folklore and emotional stakes.
Exact production dates, director credits and release windows have not been officially confirmed in public notices at the time of writing. Expect more detailed announcements (casting, director, shooting schedule) as the production ramps up.
What audiences can expect from Shweta Tripathi in Nava
Shweta’s filmography shows she favors nuanced, often understated performances. In Nava, that acting style could be highly effective: quiet, internal dread frequently outperforms grand gestures in atmospheric horror.
Audiences who follow her for relatable, layered portrayals should find her approach suited to a film that leans on mood, character and cultural specificity. If the production delivers on its premise, Nava could appeal both to mainstream horror fans and to viewers who prefer thoughtful, artful storytelling.
Why Nava matters for Indian horror cinema
Indian horror has been evolving — from formulaic scares to cinema that draws on regional myths, folklore and psychology. Nava’s Sundarbans setting and producer-led model position it within this shift: films rooted in place and culture can broaden both the creative vocabulary and international appeal of Indian horror.
A female-led, actor-produced horror film also means different perspectives behind the camera — potentially fresher takes on gender, memory and social context within the genre.
Final take: cautious optimism
There’s reason to be optimistic but also prudent. Early reports and interviews sketch a promising blueprint: an atmospheric story anchored by Shweta Tripathi’s involvement as both actor and producer, a Sundarbans backdrop teeming with cinematic possibility, and collaborations that bridge Indian and international indie expertise. The real test will be execution — how the film treats local culture, manages its visual mood, and balances folklore with humane character work.
For now, Nava is a film to watch: not because it promises cheap frights, but because it signals a thoughtful, place-driven approach to horror with Shweta Tripathi steering creative choices on and off screen.
