Starvation

Starvation is a Mumbai-set feature in development from writer-directors Saurav Mahind and Tejas Shende, both graduates of India's Film and Television Institute. The project has been selected for the Writers' Ink Screenwriting Lab 2026, an intensive development program for emerging Indian screenwriters. Producing the film are Neeraj Churi through his London-based Lotus Visual Productions—known for championing South Asian LGBTQ+ cinema—and U. S. filmmaker Daniel Talbott via Orphan Andy Films, a company focused on queer voices worldwide. The story is psychologically grounded and engages with themes of desire, class, and emotional survival. Mahind's student short "Upon Starvation" previously won best short film in international competition at the Sunny Side of the Doc festival, and he was selected for the Indian government's Creative Minds of Tomorrow program. Shende was named a fellow for the QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab 2024–25. Casting and financing announcements are expected at a later date.