Mumbai/IBNS: Award-winning Director Keith Gomes is back with Sex, Likes & Stories.
Shot on iPhone, the ambitious short film explores the dark side of social media in the quirkiest ways, featuring Abhishek Banerjee, Mokshda Jailkhani, and Shruthy Menon in lead roles.
The much-anticipated trailer of the short film has created curiosity amongst the audience. Director Keith believes that the short film will strike a chord with most social media users.
A fast-paced thriller with a social message will keep the audience on the edge of their seat.
The trailer of ‘Sex, Likes & Stories’ features the trio chasing validation, seeking love online, and needing to share a story first. Keith Gomes’ choice of offbeat topics challenges the social reality through this story of three lives and the mean world index we currently live in. The trailer claims to be a unique one as it throws light on mental health issues caused by social media, body shaming, and our need to be white-skinned.
Speaking on this, Director Keith said, “Sex, Likes & Stories is a rollercoaster ride through the twisted depths of social media, blending dark humor and gripping storytelling. Brace yourself for a wild journey that will make you question everything you thought you knew about the virtual world we live in. Get ready to embark on an unconventional ride that exposes the underbelly of social media with a dash of quirkiness and a whole lot of surprises!”
Keith immersed himself in this project post his Oscar-eligible ‘Shameless’. He captured the essence of Sex, Likes & Stories by shooting on an iPhone. Shot by ace cinematographer Tapan Basu, the actors also shot their own parts, like real users.
Speaking of quirky roles with social messaging, actor Abhishek Banerjee said, “I did the film because whenever Keith will call me for anything I will be there. He is one of the pillars of my career in Mumbai! The one who gave me my first job as a casting director, but having said that I also feel that even though Keith has been an associate director on many commercial films his sensibilities are completely original and quirky like our film which I feel is quite an original take on the social media madness.”
Mokshda herself faced body shaming, having done dance reality TV. She said, “Like so many performing artists in the spotlight, I’ve been subjected to a lot of negativity, verbal abuse, and trolling on social media. Initially, it got me really low, but slowly I learned to understand what really matters versus what is transient. The numbers, the popularity, and the comments don’t define who you are, your work does. As the universe would have it, Keith sir reached out to me exactly during this phase of realization and gave me the opportunity to be a part of this absolutely pure, unadulterated, and much-needed mirror to society in the form of our film, and I cannot wait for everyone to see it and live it as we all have while making it.”
Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar when quizzed, “Social media has become an influential force that deeply affects our lives and mental well-being. With our film, we strive to shed light on the often unseen personal struggles waged daily within the realm of social media. Our intention is to ignite meaningful conversations, foster empathy, and encourage individuals to embrace more positive attitudes in our society, both towards one another and themselves.”
Written and directed by Keith Gomes, Sex, Life & Stories stars Abhishek Banerjee, Mokshda Jailkhani, and Shruthy Menon. The film was produced by Emmy-nominated Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar (co-founder of OML and founder of Rebellion Management), Oscar academy member Sandeep Kamal, Keith Gomes, and Suresh Jagasia. Creative director Huzefa Lokhandwala (co-founder of Prime Focus), Sound designer Oscar winner Resul Pookutty & Jagdish Nachkekar, Score by Bollywood music composer Clinton Cerejo, Yash Kapoor, Zain Boxwala, SFX and Production design Suresh Selvarajan & Gargi Mukherjee. The film will be released on Director Keith Gomes’ YouTube channel on 25th May.
