Rhea Chakraborty is heading into zombie territory with College Fest, The Viral Fever’s upcoming genre film that puts a supernatural spin on the familiar campus story. The actor has joined the project alongside Purav Jha, and both have already completed their portions for the movie. Ashish Chanchlani is also part of the cast, making the project an interesting meeting point between established actors and popular digital creators.
The film takes place against the backdrop of a Gen-Z college fest, but the usual campus drama quickly takes a darker turn when a mysterious infection begins transforming students into zombies. The premise was unveiled as part of Prime Video India’s 2026 slate, with the film positioned as a horror-comedy that mixes youth culture with a full-blown zombie outbreak.
For Rhea, the project marks another interesting addition to her recent screen work. Rather than returning with a conventional college drama, she is stepping into a story where friendships, campus life and youthful chaos collide with an escalating supernatural threat.
Rhea Chakraborty and Purav Jha have finished filming
A source confirms to Variety India, “Rhea Chakraborty and Purav Jha have been cast in ‘College Fest.’ It is a zombie movie produced by TVF, and both actors have already finished shooting their portions. The project combines the college setting with the zombie genre, making for an interesting departure from the usual campus stories.”
The exact details of their characters remain under wraps, so there is still plenty that the film is keeping hidden. What is clear is that both actors will be entering a world far removed from the straightforward coming-of-age stories usually associated with college settings. The zombie element gives the filmmakers room to turn familiar campus relationships into something much more chaotic.
Purav Jha’s involvement is especially notable because College Fest marks his film debut. His growing presence across digital entertainment has already given him a substantial audience, and the project now gives him an opportunity to move into a larger scripted feature environment.
Rhea, meanwhile, brings established acting experience to the ensemble. Her previous work includes projects such as Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar and Taish, while her most recent screen appearance was in the second season of The Traitors.
The combination of actors and creators gives College Fest a distinctly contemporary cast. It is not simply using the college setting as a backdrop; the project is bringing together performers from different corners of India’s entertainment and digital landscape.
Ashish Chanchlani enters TVF’s zombie world
Ashish Chanchlani is one of the most recognisable names attached to College Fest, and the movie represents another major step in his transition from digital creator to mainstream screen performer. The project was announced as part of Prime Video India’s 2026 lineup, with Chanchlani listed among its key cast members.
The film’s premise gives Chanchlani a particularly fitting environment. A chaotic college festival filled with Gen-Z characters, unexpected problems and a rapidly spreading zombie infection naturally leaves plenty of room for comedy, while the supernatural element pushes the story into a much larger genre space.
The official premise describes a mysterious infection transforming students into zombies and forcing them to confront both real-world consequences and literal “brain rot” before their campus and generation collapse.
That combination suggests that College Fest is aiming for more than a conventional zombie movie. The campus setting allows the filmmakers to play with familiar youth experiences, while the outbreak provides the kind of escalating stakes that can turn everyday college problems into survival situations.
For Chanchlani, the film also follows his move into longer-form storytelling with Ekaki. His participation in College Fest continues that expansion, this time with TVF behind the project and Prime Video attached to its release.
What we know about College Fest so far
College Fest is directed by Vaibhav Bundhoo and written by Arunabh Kumar, with TVF behind the production. The project was unveiled at Prime Video Presents in March 2026, where it was described as a Gen-Z campus story with a mysterious infection at its centre.
The movie’s central idea is simple but potentially versatile. Students arrive at a college fest expecting the usual combination of celebrations, friendships and youthful drama, only for an infection to transform the event into a fight for survival. That contrast between an ordinary campus environment and a rapidly escalating zombie crisis is likely to provide much of the film’s humour and tension.
The addition of Rhea Chakraborty and Purav Jha expands an ensemble that already has Chanchlani at its centre. Their casting also makes the movie more interesting from an audience perspective because it brings together performers with very different career paths and fan bases.
For now, further details about the characters played by Rhea and Purav are being kept secret, and a release date has not been announced in the available information. But with filming already completed for their portions, the project has clearly moved well beyond the announcement stage.
College Fest could ultimately become one of TVF’s more unusual experiments. The production house has built much of its identity around stories rooted in young India, but this time it is taking that familiar territory and throwing zombies into the middle of it. With Rhea Chakraborty, Purav Jha and Ashish Chanchlani sharing the screen, the film has the ingredients for a campus story that could be very different from anything the genre has offered recently.
College Fest: 6 Questions Answered
Who stars in College Fest?
Rhea Chakraborty and Purav Jha have joined the cast alongside Ashish Chanchlani. Further cast details and character information remain under wraps.
What is College Fest about?
The film follows students at a Gen-Z college fest where a mysterious infection transforms students into zombies. The group must deal with the consequences as the outbreak threatens their campus and wider generation.
Is College Fest a zombie movie?
Yes. The project combines a college setting with the zombie genre, mixing campus storytelling with horror and comedy elements.
Has Rhea Chakraborty finished shooting College Fest?
Yes. According to the source cited by Variety India, Rhea Chakraborty and Purav Jha have already completed their portions of the film.
Is College Fest Purav Jha’s film debut?
Yes. The project marks Purav Jha’s film debut, while it also represents a major screen step for digital creator Ashish Chanchlani.
Who directed College Fest?
Vaibhav Bundhoo is directing the film, with Arunabh Kumar credited as the writer.
