Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is making a much-awaited return to Bengali cinema after more than a decade with Dear Maa, the teaser of which was unveiled by the makers on Tuesday across social media platforms.

Produced by Flying Colours Pictures, ABP Creations, Ace of Spades Entertainment and Opus Communications, Dear Maa marks Roy Chowdhury’s first Bengali feature film in 11 years.

Known for his National Award-winning Antaheen and the Hindi courtroom drama Pink, Roy Chowdhury’s latest film is a thriller that promises to explore the layers of human relationships. Dear Maa attempts to look beyond the boundaries of blood ties to ask larger questions about love, belonging and the invisible threads that bind people together.

The one-minute teaser revolves around the disappearance of a young girl named Sohini. Her stepmother (played by Jaya Ahsan) lodges a police complaint, leading to a citywide manhunt. The video also shows glimpses of a fractured relationship between Sohini and her stepmother. While Jaya’s character wanted to embrace Sohini as her own daughter, the latter refused to accept her overtures.

The ensemble cast of the film includes Chandan Roy Sanyal, Anubha Fatehpuria, Shayan Munshi, Dhritiman Chatterji and Saswata Chatterjee. The film also features child actors Nandika Das, Ahana and Adwitiya Mitra. Bickram Ghosh has composed the music for the film. Avik Mukhopadhyay handles the cinematography while Arghyakamal Mitra takes care of editing.

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s last film was Kadak Singh (2023), starring Pankaj Tripathi in the titular role. It had a direct-to-digital release on ZEE5. Jaya Ahsan is currently shooting for Kaushik Ganguly’s Aajo Ardhangini.

Dear Maa releases in theatres on July 18.