Sarika doesn’t need convincing to give her nod to a movie. All the actor needs is a script rooted in honesty. Like The Family I Chose, her next project over three years after Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai (2022). Director Kankana Chakraborty’s maiden feature film explores the idea of belonging and a chosen family. 

Talking to mid-day, Sarika shared that the theme was enough to draw her to the movie. “The concept resonates with the times we live in, especially in metro cities. So, the film offers the opportunity to look around and pick up nuances. The Family I Chose is not just the title, but a reality of our times that needs to be explored creatively. There is beauty, sensitivity, sharing, and empathy in such a family. I love how Kankana has written it,” she said.

Sarika (extreme right) was last seen in ‘Uunchai’

With The Family I Chose, also starring Barun Chanda, Chakraborty tells the story of an aged man searching for his son. “The film weaves together themes of inherited grief, redemption, and the courage it takes to love beyond blood ties,” explained the director.

Kankana Chakraborty previously helmed ‘Women Prayed & Preyed Upon’ (2013), and the short film ‘Re-Routing’ (2025). She recently made her Bollywood acting debut with Rajat Kapoor’s ‘Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa’.

She found the perfect collaborator in Sarika, one who instinctively understood her story. Chakraborty recalled, “I shared the synopsis and character breakdown, and Sarika ma’am immediately asked for the script. Within two days, we were on a call discussing her emotionally complex character, Tripti. She instinctively understood her subtext.” The film will roll in Gangtok in November. The director added, “It’s the first feature film to be shot entirely in Gangtok.”

‘The Family I Chose’ will be primarily an English language film, with snatches of Hindi and Nepali