Actor-producer Shweta Tripathi is set to broaden her creative footprint with ‘Nava’, her first horror film under her banner Bandarful Films, in collaboration with Kowatanda Films India.

The project marks her second production venture after the queer drama ‘Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan’, led by Tilottama Shome, reinforcing her growing commitment to original, bold and culturally rooted storytelling.

Set in the haunting and visually arresting wetlands of the Sundarbans, Nava traces the journey of Tara, who returns to her ancestral home only to be drawn into a chilling, generation-old mystery. The narrative brings together river gods, buried family secrets and the fragile line between myth and memory, creating a world where folklore and fear coexist.

Written by Akash Mohimen, the film is positioned as an evocative blend of atmosphere, emotion and folklore-driven horror.

Speaking about stepping into horror as a producer, Shweta Tripathi said the film represents a significant shift in the kind of worlds she wants to explore. “Nava is a very special step for me as a producer. 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,” she said.

Tripathi added that the Sundarbans isn’t just a setting but a living character within the script. “It’s alive, it breathes, it protects and it threatens. When Akash narrated the script, I was taken in by its beauty, its fear and its soul. As a producer, I want to support stories that take creative risks, that are layered and that stay with the audience long after the film ends,” she noted. She also emphasised that partnering with Kowatanda Films India felt natural, given their shared passion for meaningful and cinematic storytelling.

With ‘Nava’, Tripathi moves deeper into production, continuing her push to champion genre-driven, character-led Indian stories that challenge conventions while celebrating authenticity.