Psychological thriller “Maya Ko Maya,” featuring an ensemble cast of Vinay Pathak, Anna Sharma, Saloni Batra, and Satyajeet Dubey, has completed principal photography.
The English-Nepalese production, set in modern Nepal and based on real events, is targeting a worldwide release in winter 2025.
Helmed by director Rohit Karan Baidya, the film is produced by Jyadro Movies, a Driver Inc. company, with Platoon One Films serving as creative consultant. Platoon One, India’s leading independent film studio known for festival darlings like “Sir” (Cannes) and “Ghaath” (Berlinale), will also handle distribution and international sales.
The narrative centers on protagonist Maya, who confronts societal expectations through therapy, triggering emotional turbulence that threatens to upend her life. The thriller examines themes of identity, tradition, and authenticity in a society balancing past and present influences.
Vinay Pathak (“Bheja Fry,” “Khosla Ka Ghosla”) described filming in Nepal as “deeply transformative” and positioned the country as “a living, breathing character” in the film. “‘Maya Ko Maya’ reveals a side of Nepal the world has rarely seen – raw, intimate, and powerful,” Pathak said.
Nepal’s breakout star Anna Sharma (“Aktor,” “The Man from Kathmandu”) characterized the project as a “powerful psychological thriller” with universal emotional appeal despite its Nepalese setting. She added that working alongside “the legendary Vinay Pathak made the journey all the more unforgettable.”
For Saloni Batra (“Animal,” “Soni”), wrapping production felt like leaving “a wild, beautiful storm.” She described her character as someone who “doesn’t fit the mould” and is “fierce, messy, hopeful, and free,” while adding that Nepal’s landscapes and people enriched both the story and her performance.
Baidya, whose previous credits include “Life on the Road Nepal” and the Royal Television Society-nominated pilot “Wild Cooks,” called the film “a labor of love” that evolved from casual interviews in 2019 into “something urgent and necessary.” The director positioned the film as “a voice for those forced into silence” that confronts “invisible violence” persisting in seemingly progressive societies.
Satyajeet Dubey (“Mumbai Diaries 26/11,” “Prassthanam”) was attracted to the project by his character’s “uncomfortably human” qualities. “In this film, nothing is black or white. We’re all trapped in shades of grey,” he said, describing the work as both a psychological thriller and “a deeply intimate exploration of guilt, control, and suppressed desire.”
Platoon Collective, the talent management division of Platoon One Films, led casting efforts in collaboration with Driver Inc. Platoon One is currently representing the film at the Cannes Film Market.
