Saurin Lakhia

Saurin's journey to becoming a screenwriter has been far from conventional; he has always been a natural storyteller at heart.

Growing up as a closeted gay Indian in a conservative environment in Texas during the '80s and '90s, Saurin found solace in his own imagination. He would spend hours filling notebooks with movie ideas, creating imaginary worlds and even awards for these films. Despite his dream to pursue his passion in the film industry, his traditional Indian family and cultural expectations held him back.

After studying Foreign Service at Georgetown University, he pursued a career in media with a master's degree in Media Studies from the New School. While working in Television Development at IMG (now WME), Saurin transitioned into Branded Content & Marketing career due to the Great Recession in '08.

However, Saurin eventually found the courage to push past the limits imposed on him by his own fears, familial expectations, and cultural barriers, and pursued his passion for screenwriting and filmmaking with fresh, raw creativity. Recently, he has also bravely shared his journey through bipolar disorder and recovery from substance abuse.

Through these challenges, Saurin has allowed himself to veer into completely unknown terrain and use his experiences as a Queer Indian-American to fuel his storytelling.