Anshul Chauhan, Shweta Tripathi Set Horror Feature ‘Nava’

Tokyo-based filmmaker Anshul Chauhan is expanding his independent production banner Kowatanda Films into India, with horror feature “Nava” marking the company’s first local production. The project reunites Chauhan with actress Shweta Tripathi, who will star and produce through her newly formed company Bandarful Films.

Set in the wetlands of Sundarbans, “Nava” follows Tara Sen as she returns home and becomes entangled in a generations-old mystery involving river gods and family secrets. Writer Akash Mohimen penned the screenplay for what’s being described as a culturally rooted genre piece.

“As an Indian who has spent many years living in Japan, people sometimes find it unusual that I make Japanese films,” Chauhan said. “Japan, and especially Tokyo, has given me everything. It shaped me as an artist and as a person. But at the end of the day, I am Indian too, and a part of me has always wanted to tell stories in Hindi.”

The director revealed he spent three years attempting to break into the Indian market before deciding to establish his own production infrastructure. “There are only a handful of true producers here, people who actually know how to see a film through, explore co-production funds, work with subsidies, incentives, and find solutions when private or studio financing doesn’t land,” he explained.

Kowatanda Films India will be led by Chauhan as producer and director, alongside producer Mina Moteki and executive producer Sohrab Bozorgchami. Bozorgchami brings 14 years of line producing experience on projects including “Madaari,” “Chup” and upcoming films “Sumo Didi,” “Lala & Poppy” and “Happy Patel.”

Chauhan and Moteki founded Kowatanda Films as a Tokyo-based independent studio. The company has produced “Bad Poetry Tokyo,” “Kontora,” “December” and latest feature “Tiger,” which premiered at Busan International Film Festival 2025 and had its Indian premiere at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa. “Tiger” is set for release across Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, with North America and Europe targeted next.

Tripathi said the collaboration aims to transcend international boundaries. “‘Nava’is a film that draws from the soil of Bengal and the complexities of coping with one’s ancestral past, and yet speaks a universal language of haunting and healing,” she said. “I’m excited to join hands with Kowatanda Films as we bring this atmospheric, unforgettable world to life for global audiences.”

Mohimen, a Drishyam-Sundance Screenwriters’ Lab 2015 fellow, has co-written projects including “Rukh” and crime series “Bhaukaal.” He is also developing a Japanese-language film with Chauhan scheduled to shoot in Tokyo next year, plus another Japan-set horror project.

Bandarful Films is simultaneously preparing LGBTQ+ love story “Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan,” co-starring Tillotama Shome and written and directed by Sonjoy Nag. The company also has a detective crime dramedy and a satire about image maintenance in development.

Chauhan relocated to Tokyo in 2011 after working as an animator on projects including Indian National Film Award winner “Delhi Safari.” His directorial debut “Bad Poetry Tokyo” won the Grand Prix at Brussels International Film Festival, while “Kontora” received the Grand Prix at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and the Obayashi Award in 2020. “December” premiered at Busan in 2021 and enjoyed theatrical release across five territories.

The director is represented by CAA and Range Media Partners, with plans for production in the U.S. and across Asia.