Private Project

What Men Do For Love

An aging dentist kidnaps a young man with intentions of killing him because he’s had an affair with his wife, but an unlikely connection starts to form between them.

  • Sai Karan Talwar
    Director
    GHANIMAH
  • Sai Karan Talwar
    Writer
    GHANIMAH
  • Sai Karan Talwar
    Producer
    GHANIMAH
  • Dustin Curtis Murphy
    Producer
    Coyote, Samaritan, Everything is out to get me
  • Shamender Talwar
    Producer
    GHANIMAH
  • Jerome Wright
    Key Cast
    "Charles"
    Ted Lasso
  • Morgan Scriven
    Key Cast
    "Martin"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Dark Comedy, crime
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 30, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    7,815 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sai Karan Talwar

Sai Karan Talwar is an award-winning writer and director. Sai is currently a fellow in the BBC Writersroom Writer’s Access Group, and is a 2023 Alumni of the Respectability Entertainment Lab, with over forty accolades as a writer in some of the most esteemed screenwriting competitions. His Debut ‘GHANIMAH’ is a BAFTA & BIFA Qualified Short Film, that has been selected at just over 50 film festivals, with 11 wins (4 for Best Film) and over a dozen nominations, the film is about Islamic enrolment into the British Military. His upcoming short ‘What Men Do for Love’ is a 15-minute single take film about the masculine ego at breaking point, that will hit festivals this summer.

Film has always been a passion for Sai dating back to growing up in his late Grandfather’s video shop. Initially working with MADE from 2016, a charitable organization with a vision to reduce discrimination against BAME & LGBTQ+ Londoners. With MADE, he ran filmmaking workshops, screening events, held exhibitions at BFI Southbank and co-produced over 30 short films with 100,000+ online views. He worked in production companies such as Origin Pictures and 42 Management and Production within the development departments. He studied Economics and Finance at Durham University, leading to his undergraduate dissertation: ‘What are the key determinants of success for the box office within the UK motion picture industry?’ which received a first.

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Director Statement

What Men Do for Love is an exploration of the masculine ego at breaking point. A provocative, profane yet tender piece amidst the overwhelming unbridled testosterone. We are typifying an account of the broken male ego, where many projects don’t choose to delve into, men can’t seem to open up their emotional state of mind. What on the surface alludes to a revenge plot is more of a red herring for a film that is actually about lost love to another, and the emotions one feels as a result. In such circumstances, revenge may be hugely desired, but that it is not something that many of us get the opportunity or inclination to go through with.

Going against the grain of a film that can very easily be reduced to genre thrills and violent sensationalism. The single location I would hope augments the sense of loneliness and accentuates Charles’s pain, only exemplified by the choice of black and white. We had a day and a half for rehearsal, and then we shot within half a day in a single take, out of fourteen takes we used the last one. We believe this escalates the tension of the scene, as well as, present a more natural and vulnerable performance from our actors. A film about love and loss with an important message; love hurts, but revenge will not take the pain away. Thus bringing the vulnerabilities of how men deal with mental health issues.

The script was an Official Selection at the HollyShorts Screenwriting Competition 2023, A Quarterfinalist at the ScreenCraft Short Film Screenplay Competition 2023, and a Semifinalist at the ScreenCraft Film Fund Fall 2023.

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