Birthdays have always been a time to reflect for Sudhanshu Saria. But today, as he turns 41, the filmmaker also has something to celebrate—the short film, Taps, backed by him, releases today. “I love that I found my journey back into queer stories by producing a queer love story,” he starts.

Saria had forayed into filmmaking with the same-sex relationship drama, Loev (2015). Ten years and a feature film in Ulajh (2024) later, the director believes he owes a great deal to the queer community. He elaborates, “Taps is my way to give it back to the community that launched my career, in a way. We have put it out for free on YouTube. This is my way of showing that the conversation needs to keep going.”