Yahoo Lifestyle Indian LGBTQ Horror Film ‘Ummeed’ Boards Venice Alum Karan Tejpal, Heads to EFM (EXCLUSIVE)
Director Karan Tejpal, whose debut “Stolen” (2023) premiered in Venice’s Horizon’s strand before screening at BFI London Film Festival, Zurich Film Festival, and SXSW Sydney, has boarded Indian psychological horror feature “Ummeed” (Hope). The project, selected for the Berlin European Film Market’s Fiction Toolbox Program at Berlinale 2025, is aiming for a November production start.
The film follows a same-sex couple in small-town India pursuing parenthood through illegal sperm donation. When Tithi cannot conceive, her partner Rahi becomes pregnant, leading to a descent into paranoia fueled by societal harassment and dark secrets about the pregnancy itself.
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“Though it’s wrapped in thick atmospheric dread, ‘Ummeed’ deeply moved me with the emotional complexity of the characters and their resilience against societal prejudice,” says Tejpal. “More than a psychological horror film, this is a story about redemption and hope.”
The screenplay comes from Abhishek Banerjee, known for the horror film “Pari” (2018) and Prime Video’s “Paatal Lok” Season 2. “‘Ummeed’ is the story of how a same-sex couple’s dream of having a child turns into a nightmare as the society around them starts pushing them towards a dark alley,” Banerjee explains.
Producer Dimpy Agrawal, whose Gubbara Entertainment was founded in 2023, brings significant experience from Netflix India productions including “Khufiya” and “The Archies.” “It’s a deeply personal story for me, as it encapsulates the courage it takes to navigate systems that are inherently unwelcoming— both as a woman and as a filmmaker,” says Agrawal.
Gubbara has recently completed principal photography on a short film titled “Ma,” starring Anusuya Sengupta – who made history as the first Indian actor to win best performance at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard for “The Shameless” – Akash Khurana, and Upen Chauhan, directed by Riddhi Talreja, in collaboration with Canon, Sandisk, and Sennheiser. The film is currently in post-production.
“Ma” is part of the Gubbara slate that was unveiled at the Goa Film Bazaar in 2024.
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