Director Aneek Chaudhuri, known for his genre-defying cinematic language, has returned to the international stage with his new feature Ashva – A White Horse’s Neigh, which premiered its official trailer at the 22025 Cannes Film Festival, unveiled at the India Pavilion. Following the momentum of The Zebras — his previous film that made an Oscar-qualifying run in Los Angeles — Ashva marks another bold step into the realm of experimental storytelling, seamlessly blending myth with modernity.
This French-Sanskrit film is shot across West Bengal!
Rooted in the rich tapestry of Norse mythology and inspired by the legend of Sleipnir — Odin’s mystical eight-legged steed — Ashva traverses both time and space, following a woman as she journeys through the past and future in pursuit of a white horse that once belonged to her… or perhaps to another self she once was. Chaudhuri constructs an Indo-global narrative that is as poignant as it is surreal, shot extensively across Austria, Kolkata and the serene landscapes of the Sundarbans.
What sets Ashva apart?
At once arthouse and allegorical, the film interrogates themes of love, loss, prostitution, death, time travel and reincarnation, all while maintaining a dreamlike visual style. An experimental narrative structure is central to the film’s ethos — merging mythological symbolism with a contemporary critique of gender, desire and mortality. The elusive white horse becomes more than a creature of folklore; it emerges as a metaphor for longing, memory and the fragmented nature of identity.
With its trailer now making waves at Cannes, the film is poised to enter the international festival circuit, with stops planned across major European and Asian arthouse festivals later this year.