Marathi film 'Sabar Bonda' wins World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Fest

New Delhi: First-time filmmaker Rohan Parashuram Kanawade's Marathi film Sabar Bonda has bagged the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

The prestigious film gala announced the winners for its latest edition on its official social media pages on Friday evening.

Sabar Bonda, a same-sex love story set in a village near Sangamner in Maharashtra‘s Ahmednagar district, features Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman and Jayshri Jagtap in the lead roles.

Titled Cactus Pears in English, the film is about Anand, a 30-something city dweller, who is compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with a local farmer struggling to stay unmarried.

"As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress," according to the official logline.

The jury for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition included film critic Ava Cahen, Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu and Oscar-winning British actor Daniel Kaluuya.In their citation, the jury described Sabar Bonda as a "great modern love story".

"To say it’s an honor to award this tender film is an understatement. We cried, we laughed, and we wished to be loved in the same way. It is exactly what the world needs right now. This authentic point of view opens the door to an intimate language we all understand.

"We feel the humming heartbeat of the main character’s inner life, and when it bursts, it wraps us with its sweetness," it read.

The movie is a co-production between India, the UK and Canada. It is produced by Neeraj Churi, Mohamed Khaki, Kaushik Ray, Hareesh Reddypalli, Naren Chandavarkar and Sidharth Meer.