By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there’s always more we can learn about them as people. We decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s path to filmmaking hasn’t been straightforward, but he’s always been an artist. “After I finished school in 2002, I had no idea what I wanted to become. I knew that, unlike my friends who made practical career choices for a secure future, I wanted to pursue something related to art. But neither my parents nor I knew that formal education in filmmaking was an option,” explains Kanawade. “My father’s boss suggested interior design because of my drawing talent, so I earned a diploma in that field. While working as a full-time interior designer, I began exploring filmmaking. Without any background or support to attend film school, I devoted years to reach this stage.”
Those years of exploration have led to Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), Kanawade’s feature directorial debut, which is premiering in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows Anand (Bhushaan Manoj), who forms a relationship with a farmer (Suraaj Suman) when he travels to rural western India to complete a 10-day mourning period for his late father.
Kanawade knew the semi-autobiographical story would be an opportunity to highlight a depiction of LGBTQ+ life seldom seen on-screen. “My experience as a gay man growing up in a Mumbai slum is vastly different from that of my upper-class friends. It’s also important to note that queer experiences aren’t limited to city life,” says Kanawade. “Repeated portrayals have created a perception that queerness is only an urban ‘phenomenon.’ I wanted to craft a story from my own city and rural experiences and represent rarely portrayed lower-class and rural queer characters and their existence with honesty.”
Read on to learn more about Kanawade and his feature debut, including the director’s favorite part about making the film and why the casting process took more than three years.
What was the biggest inspiration behind Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)?
The biggest inspiration for Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) was my father’s passing and the 10-day grieving period I spent in my ancestral village, a few hours away from Mumbai. During those days, I was unable to fully process my loss because my extended family continually pressured me to get married, unaware of my sexuality. While silently enduring that pressure, I had no space to truly grieve. In making this film, I wanted to revisit that experience and transform it — infusing it with tenderness by weaving in a romance between two men.
Films are lasting artistic legacies; what do you want yours to say?
With Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), I wanted to say that queerness isn’t a Western concept. Queer lives are part of rural India and the lower social strata, too. Through this story, I wanted to challenge the belief held by many in India that queerness is either a trend or only found in upper-class circles. I also wanted to show that parental acceptance doesn’t come from education or exposure but from the deep, unconditional love they have for their child. I hope that these characters — their emotions and their world — come across as fully human and relatable to everyone who watches.
Describe who you want this film to reach.
Although Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) unfolds during a 10-day grieving period, my goal was not to make a sad film but a tender and warm one. It’s a film for anyone who values simple, genuine human emotions. While it includes queer themes, at its heart, it’s a story about people and love against the backdrop of familial and cultural ties. The portrayal of parental relationships adds a universal dimension, making it relatable to audiences everywhere. I hope the film can inspire a sense of healing for many, just as it did for me.
Tell us an anecdote about casting or working with your actors.
Casting took over three years, a period filled with obstacles and persistence. I sought fresh faces because I wanted the audience to feel they were watching real people, not familiar actors playing a role. One of our struggles was that many first-time actors often felt hesitant about portraying queer characters. I also wanted actors who were from the same region of Ahmednagar where we shot the film, adding another challenge to finding the right fit. Six months before we started filming, I found Bhushaan, who plays Anand. Bhushaan is a trained theater actor with roots in the same region. Through him, I found Suraaj, who plays Balya, another talented theater actor from the area. Bhushaan and Suraaj have been best friends for six years, developing and acting in their own plays together. When I finally found them, I realized my search had ended, as they could draw from their own friendship to bring a natural chemistry and depth to their performances.
Your favorite part of making Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)? Memories from the process?
My favorite part of making Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) was filming in my mother’s tiny village called Kharshinde in the Ahmednagar region, a place I’ve been visiting since childhood. Many of my relatives from the village joined the crew to help with the production and even played small roles in the film. We also shot a few scenes near the village lake — a man-made lake created years ago because the village didn’t have a natural water source. When the lake was being dug, my mother was a teenager and worked as one of the laborers. Knowing that my mother’s own history was embedded in this landscape made the experience deeply personal. All these connections made me feel that I was creating something truly authentic, rooted in both family and memory.
Tell us why and how you got into filmmaking.
When I was 6 years old, going to the cinema was a thrill, but I was even more fascinated by the film projector than by the screen itself. I saw it as something magical that made pictures look huge and brought them to life! The little windows at the back of the cinema, where colorful, dancing light emerged, captured my imagination. Later, when I saw Jurassic Park (1993), I fell in love with both sound and dinosaurs! By age 10, I was collecting film strips and had even built my own slide projector with a shoebox and magnifying glass. By 15 or so, I was writing short stories, but without proper guidance, I ended up studying interior design, simply because I was good at drawing. In 2007, my passion for storytelling became overwhelming, but I lacked the tools to explore it. My own phone didn’t have a camera, so I borrowed a friend’s phone with a 1.5-megapixel camera to shoot a short film and used his home computer to edit it. I enjoyed the process so much that I kept making more shorts. Filmmaking was always my calling, even if it took me a while to get there.
Why is filmmaking important to you? Why is it important to the world?
Filmmaking allows me to observe real life and then craft a whole new world on-screen. While creating these worlds, I can express moments I wish I had experienced myself. For example, I never got to hug my father, but in my film, I could create that tender, imaginary moment. Filmmaking, to me, is vital because it allows us to experience what reality often denies us. In a similar way, it’s important to the world, as each film and filmmaker brings unique expressions and perspectives that deepen our understanding of people and life.
What is something that all filmmakers should keep in mind in order to become better cinematic storytellers?
One thing I learned from making my first feature is to always trust your gut. It’s that instinct that guides you through the thousands of choices required to tell your story authentically. As a creator, your gut feeling is crucial because you’re bringing something unique into the world, something only you can express and make.
Who are your creative heroes?
Michael Haneke, Hirokazu Koreeda, Jonathan Glazer, Céline Sciamma, Kelly Reichardt, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
What was the last thing you saw that you wish you made?
I’m not sure what the last film was that made me feel that way, but Funny Games (1997), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011), and Under the Skin (2013) all made me feel that aspiration. I want to reach a level where I can craft a film with that depth.
One thing people don’t know about me is ________.
I collect miniature car, bus, truck, and train models and dinosaurs.
Which of your personal characteristics contributes most to your success as a storyteller?
My persistence and my ability to turn rejections into motivation have been essential for reaching my goals.
Tell us about your history with Sundance Institute. When was the first time you engaged with us? Why did you want your film to premiere/screen with us?
My history with Sundance has been filled with rejections. I submitted several screenplays to the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab, including Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) (then titled Arms of a Man) in 2021. Although each rejection stung, I used those moments as motivation to keep improving. And finally, having the opportunity to premiere Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) as a finished film at Sundance feels like I have come full circle! It gives me immense joy, because for me Sundance represents the spirit of independent films that has enabled me to make films, and it is an honor to be part of the Festival. I look forward to meeting the Sundance team members personally, engaging with the audiences and people from the industry while at Sundance!
What’s your favorite film that has come from the Sundance Institute or Festival?
Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Honeyland (2019), Minari (2020)
