Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) explores grief and identity in a restrictive part of the world, filtered through the filmmaker’s unique relationships.
Writer & Director: Rohan Parashuram Kanawade
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 112′
Sundance Premiere: January 26, 2025
Release Date: TBA
Grief is a universal subject in film, and a number of genres across the world have explored the idea in recent years, often producing some of the best films of the year. Sabar Bonda (which translates to ”Cactus Pears”) is a personal story of grief from first-time writer-director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade debuting at the Sundance Film Festival, but it’s rooted in the often fraught relationship between tradition and modernity.
While Kanawade’s confidence as a director is evident from early on, his gentleness as a storyteller provides the beating heart of the film.
It’s easy to compare Sabar Bonda to recent “slice of life” films like All We Imagine as Light or Perfect Days, but Kanawade’s personal connection to the material imbues the movie with minute details which could easily be overlooked. To achieve the right degree of authenticity, actors (both professional and non-professional) local to the region portrayed in the film were cast, and the central duo were selected because of their long-standing real-life friendship.
Kanawade’s stand-in is Anand (Bushaan Manoj), a call center employee in Mumbai whose father has just unexpectedly died. As part of the grieving process mandated by his fundamentalist mother, Anand has to spend ten days in his ancestral village in the countryside. He receives strict instructions about how to grieve (only fruit is allowed to be eaten between meals, he has to sleep on the floor when inside), but he finds connection with a childhood friend, Balya (Suraaj Suman). As if there wasn’t enough religious pressure to grieve properly, Anand is constantly hounded to marry, since he has no viable reason not to be already. Balya finds similar pressure from his own family, and has seemingly perfected the excuses to keep them at bay.
Though there are some pacing issues within the film where the plot lies dormant for long stretches, Sabar Bonda mostly gets by because of its admirable commitment to realism. Both Anand and Balya feel realistically written, rather than stock characters in search of a foregone conclusion. Each of their scenes together oozes with a sense of longing, as both of these men know that they can only be their true selves when they’re together. Kanawade shoots much of the film as a series of long, static shots, which adds another sense of realness to the story, but I only occasionally felt genuine internal or external tension. I’ll give the young filmmaker credit for not injecting drama simply for the sake of having drama, but the set-up established early on isn’t enough to sustain a nearly two hour movie.
Nevertheless, Sabar Bonda remains a quietly radical piece of filmmaking, and an impressively confident feature debut. Queer stories such as this rarely get made at this level, especially from such a restrictive part of the world. Kanawade has made a film that strikes close to his heart, and his affection for the characters shines through. More than anything, the Sundance Film Festival is a place to recognize emerging talent with unique voices, and with Sabar Bonda, Kanawade announces himself as a new, global filmmaker worth following.
Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears): Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
After his father dies, a Mumbai call center worker must spend 10 days grieving in his ancestral countryside village, where he finds commonality with a childhood friend.
Pros:
- Naturalistic dialogue, and a dedication to authenticity
- Grounded performances from mostly non-professional actors
Cons:
- Slow, often sluggish pacing
- About 15 minutes too long
Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025.
