“Cactus Pears” (Sabar Bonda), the Marathi-language drama that made history at Sundance as the first Indian fiction feature to win the World Cinema Dramatic grand jury prize, will open in U.K. and Ireland cinemas on June 19, in a release led by producers Neeraj Churi of Lotus Visual Productions and Kaushik Ray of Taran Tantra Telefilms. The film is presented by Mira Nair.
Written and directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, the film centers on a young man from Mumbai who travels back to his family’s village in rural Maharashtra after his father dies, bound by tradition to observe a 10-day mourning period. Amid pressure from relatives about marriage and his future, he grows close again to a friend from childhood, and the two men find their way toward an intimate connection.
The film has screened at more than 85 festivals across some 40 countries since its Sundance breakthrough, picking up the jury prize at the inaugural SXSW London in 2025. It has already played theatrically in India, the U.S., Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
Reviewing the film for Variety, Siddhant Adlakha wrote: “A rural gay story that begins in a state of mourning and melancholy, it eventually takes on radiant form, with emotional complexities born out of characters walking around the truth, if only because euphemisms are the only language they have.”
To support the U.K. rollout, Kanawade will embark on a 10-day national Q&A tour beginning June 16 at BFI Southbank in London. Theatrical bookings and marketing outreach will be handled by Tejinder Jouhal and Krushil Patel, while Tony Gill’s diversity PR and marketing agency Media House Global will lead the publicity campaign, with producer and publicist Dheeraj Agnihotri in an advisory role.
“Seeing ‘Cactus Pears’ arrive in U.K. cinemas feels like a full circle moment,” Kanawade said. “When my producer Neeraj and I first set out to bring this film to life, our journey began at the Film London production finance market in 2021, now to return with a theatrical release here is incredibly meaningful. I’m super excited to share the film with U.K. audiences and to engage with them in person. While the story is profoundly personal, I believe its emotional core is universal and I hope it resonates on a human level with everyone who experiences it.”
Churi and Ray said in a joint statement: “We are deeply proud to bring ‘Cactus Pears’ to U.K. cinemas, after successful runs in India and the U.S. Its release here continues its journey of amplifying queer South Asian stories globally with honesty and tenderness. At a time when authentic representation is more vital than ever, ‘Cactus Pears’ stands as a testament to voices that have too often been pushed to the margins – voices we are committed to championing.”
Gill, who worked on the film’s publicity at SXSW London, said: “‘Cactus Pears’ is a truly unique film that carves its own space and identity in contemporary queer cinema, while simultaneously universal in its themes and messages. The film has already garnered a lot of love and we’re excited about further galvanizing this plaudit as this really special film comes to U.K. cinemas.”
“It’s a rare treat when audiences leave a film filled with warmth and hope for the possibility of a better future,” Jouhal added. “‘Cactus Pears’ delivers exactly that. ‘Cactus Pears’ is a truly unique love story that quietly defies convention and represents a progressive microcosm of Indian family life that will resonate deeply with cineastes, South Asian and queer cinema goers.”
“Cactus Pears” was developed through the Venice Biennale College Cinema program and received support from the NFDC Marathi Script Camp, the Film Bazaar Co-Production Market and the Venice Gap Financing Market. The film is produced by Churi, Mohamed Khaki, Ray, Naren Chandavarkar, Sidharth Meer and Hareesh Reddypalli, with co-producers Jim Sarbh, Neha Kaul and Rajesh Parwatkar.
Leave a Reply