A new Mumbai-set queer feature has brought together two producers from different film worlds, signaling a notable alliance around independent storytelling.

Sundance-winning producer Neeraj Churi and U.S. filmmaker Daniel Talbott are producing Starvation, according to reports tied to the project’s announcement. The film comes from Film and Television Institute of India graduates Saurav Mahind and Tejas Shende, who wrote and directed the feature. The collaboration also marks the first link-up between Churi’s Lotus Visual Prods. and Talbott’s Orphan Andy Films.

The project pairs established producers with emerging filmmakers, putting a Mumbai-set queer story at the center of a new international collaboration.

That combination matters because it joins festival credibility with an original voice rooted in India’s film school pipeline. Churi arrives with Sundance recognition, while Talbott adds U.S. independent film experience. Together, their backing gives Starvation a stronger platform as interest grows in stories that move beyond familiar commercial formulas.

Key Facts

  • Neeraj Churi and Daniel Talbott are producing the Mumbai-set feature Starvation.
  • The film was written and directed by FTII graduates Saurav Mahind and Tejas Shende.
  • The project marks the first collaboration between Lotus Visual Prods. and Orphan Andy Films.
  • Reports describe Starvation as a queer feature set in Mumbai.

Only limited story details have emerged so far, but the framing alone places the film in a space that remains underrepresented on screen. A queer narrative set in Mumbai carries cultural weight, especially as Indian independent cinema continues to test what kinds of intimate, local stories can find global backing. Sources suggest the producers see the film as both artist-driven and internationally legible.

What happens next will likely determine how far Starvation travels — through festival circuits, financing stages, and eventual distribution conversations. For now, the project stands out because it connects proven producers with newer directing talent at a moment when global audiences and industry buyers keep searching for distinctive regional stories with clear human stakes.