India's Exclusive Entry at Sundance Film Festival 2025: 'Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)'
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Mumbai, Dec 12 (NationPress) The highly anticipated Marathi film ‘Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)’, directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, will represent India at the Sundance Film Festival 2025, making it the sole feature film from the country in contention. This film also marks a historic moment as it is the first Marathi language feature to be showcased at the esteemed festival.
Selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, the film delves into themes of identity, familial obligations, and unconventional love. The narrative follows Anand, a city resident dealing with personal grief and family pressures, as he undertakes a 10-day mourning ritual in his family’s ancestral village. During this period, he finds comfort and camaraderie with Balya, a childhood friend facing similar societal challenges.
The cast includes Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, and Jayshri Jagtap. Development of the film took place under the Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022-2023 and the NFDC Marathi script camp, with presentations at various international platforms such as the Film London Production Finance Market, NFDC Marathi Script Camp, Film Bazaar Co-Production Market, Venice Gap Financing Market, and Goes to Cannes.
Commenting on the film's selection, writer-director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade expressed, “‘Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)’ is a deeply personal narrative. It reinterprets the mourning period I experienced in my ancestral village after my father’s passing, during which I felt immense pressure to adhere to cultural expectations, including marriage.”
“This film transforms that experience of loss and constraint into a nuanced romance that honors my journey as well as my parents' love, who embraced my sexuality with understanding and wisdom. Realizing this intimate story and gaining recognition at Sundance feels like a dream come true. I look forward to sharing it with audiences worldwide and celebrating the historic moment for Marathi cinema at the festival,” he added.
Produced by Neeraj Churi (UK), Mohamed Khaki (Canada), Kaushik Ray (UK), Naren Chandavarkar (India), Sidharth Meer (India), and Hareesh Reddypalli (India), with co-producer acclaimed actor Jim Sarbh and associate producer Rajesh Parwatkar, this film is a significant milestone for Marathi cinema.
The Sundance Film Festival, organized annually by the Sundance Institute, is the largest independent film festival in the United States, taking place every January in Park City, Utah.
