Cactus Pears

Sabar Bonda

Directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade

2025

Drama , LGBTQ+

112 min

|

India United Kingdom Canada

|

Marathi

Synopsis

Anand (30), a call-center employee in Mumbai, is forced to spend ten days at his ancestral village to mourn the loss of his father at the behest of his mother, Suman (50). As the mourning period begins post-cremation, he faces subtle but relentless badgering from relatives to get married so that at least his mother finds the pleasure of seeing him settled. Anand finds himself stifled, as coming out to extended family could alienate his mother from the relatives when she needs them the most. He finds solace in his childhood friend, Balya (30), as he accompanies him on his daily outings into the mountains to herd goats. Balya has been using the ‘educated girls favoring city-dwellers over farmers’ as a ruse to stay unmarried as he undergoes similar pressures relating to his sexuality from his family. To escape their pressures, the two men spend time together. Hailing from different worlds but bound by childhood memories, they connect over their common struggle. As the days pass, their intimacy blooms emotionally and physically. With the mourning period ending, will their burgeoning bond survive beyond the ten days?

Festival Selections

Sundance Film Festival, 2025

Festivals

2025

  • Darwin International Film Festival |
  • New Horizons International Film Festival | Discovery
  • Festival Internacional de Cine de Guanajuato | Country in Fous
  • New Zealand International Film Festival | Fresh Competition
  • Melbourne International Film Festival | International Features
  • Chichester International Film Festival | Beyond Bollywood
  • Summer Film Academy in Zwierzyniec |
  • Queer Screen Film Fest | Emerging Narrative Feature Competition
  • Thailand International LGBTQ+ Film Festival |
  • Zinegoak |
  • Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival | Centerpiece
  • Fringe! Queer Film and Art Festival |
  • Humans of Film Festival in Amsterdam | Feature Competition
  • Queer Lisboa | Feature Film Competition
  • Reykjavík International Film Festival | New Visions Competition
  • Cinema Queer |
  • Festival do Rio | Expectations Section
  • AKS International Minorities Film Festival |
  • Filmkunstfest |
  • Göteborg Film Festival | Ingmar Bergman Competition
  • Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente | International Competition
  • Sunny Bunny Queer Film Festival | Feature Film CompetitionBest Feature
  • Mooov Filmfestival |
  • Festival Internacional de Cine de las Palmas del Gran Canaria |
  • Pink Apple - Queer Film Festival |
  • Inside Out Toronto Lgbtq Film Festival |
  • New Directors / New Films |
  • Sundance Film Festival | World Cinema Dramatic CompetitionBest Feature Film
  • SXSW London | Official CompetitionBest Feature
  • Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara | Premio MagueyBest Feature
  • Fire!! Barcelona LGBT+ Film Festival | Al Este del Edén section
  • Festival du Film de Cabourg | Feature Film Competition
  • Queer Spectrum Film Festival |
  • Taipei Film Festival | New Southbound Vision
  • FEST New Directors - New Films | Golden Lynx Competition

About the Director

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Rohan Parashuram Kanawade

Rohan Parashuram Kanawade is a self-made filmmaker raised in a Mumbai slum by a chauffeur father and homemaker mother. Transitioning from interior design to filmmaking, Rohan’s short films have screened globally. His debut feature, Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), was developed at the Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022-2023 and participated in platforms such as Film Bazaar, Venice Gap Financing Market, and Goes to Cannes. His short films include U Ushacha (U for Usha), Khidkee (Window), Sundar (Beautiful), and Ektya Bhinti (Lonely Walls).

Filmography

Cactus Pears (2025)

  • Sundance Film Festival

Cast & Crew

Cast:
Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, Jayshri Jagtap
Script:
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade
Cinematographer:
Vikas Urs
Editor:
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade
Sound design & mix:
Anirban Borthakur, Naren Chandavarkar
VXF:
Nitin Kale
Producer:
Neeraj Churi, Mohamed Khaki, Kaushik Ray, Naren Chandavarkar, Sidharth Meer, Hareesh Reddypalli, Rohan Parashuram Kanawade
Production Company:
Lotus Visual Productions

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