Mumbai, Dec 12 (IANS): The upcoming Marathi film ‘Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)’, helmed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, has made its way to the Sundance Film Festival 2025 making it India’s only feature film competing at the film festival. It is also the first-ever Marathi language feature to premiere at the prestigious festival.

The film has been selected under the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film is an exploration of identity, familial expectations, and unconventional love. It follows Anand, a city-dweller grappling with personal loss and familial pressures, as he embarks on a 10-day mourning ritual in his ancestral village. He finds solace and connection with Balya, a childhood friend facing similar societal expectations.

The film stars Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, and Jayshri Jagtap. The film was developed under the Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022-2023 and NFDC Marathi script camp and presented at global platforms like the Film London Production Finance Market, NFDC Marathi Script Camp, Film Bazaar Co-Production Market, Venice Gap Financing Market, and Goes to Cannes.

Talking about the selection, writer-director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade shared, “‘Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)’ is a highly personal film. It reimagines the grief period I experienced in my ancestral village following my father's death, during which I felt enormous pressure to comply with cultural expectations, including marriage”.

“This film transforms that moment of loss and confinement into a delicate romance that celebrates my experiences as well as my parents' love, who accepted my sexuality with grace and wisdom. Bringing this extremely personal narrative to life and receiving recognition at Sundance is a dream come true. I'm excited to share it with global audiences and commemorate Marathi cinema's historic presence at the festival”, he added.

It is 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 the film is a remarkable achievement for Marathi cinema.

The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organised by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States of America. The festival takes place every January in Park City, Utah.