Marathi film Sabar Bonda wins big at Sundance Film Festival; 'Authenticity is what takes your film across borders,' says director Rohan Kanawade - Exclusive Interview

Sabar Bonda director Rohan Kanawade exclusive interview

Sabar Bonda - the name itself has an element of intrigue. At first glance, it sounds almost playful, yet unfamiliar, and I had to Google it to discover it’s a cactus fruit, thorny on the outside but tender and juicy inside.

As I later learned from director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, that metaphor lies at the heart of his debut feature titled Sabar Bonda. Much like the fruit, his characters endure hardship yet find sweetness and intimacy in their bond. And fittingly, this small but powerful story has travelled far — becoming the first Marathi film to premiere at Sundance and the first Indian fiction feature to win the Grand Jury Prize.

After a celebrated global run, the film is finally coming home to Indian theatres. As Rohan spoke to Moneycontrol, I was struck by how personal his journey with this story has been, and how universal its resonance has become.

“I got the idea of this when I was grieving my father in my ancestral village in 2016,” he shared when asked him about the genesis of Anand’s character. “There was a lot of marriage pressure… and I just thought, what if I had a friend in this village? You know? I would have just sneaked out with him for a while, and stayed away from this pressure. And suddenly I thought, oh, there's an idea for a film!”

That seed grew into Sabar Bonda, a love story set during a ten-day grieving period. The film’s title itself carries a deep metaphor. “Sabar Bonda is basically the fruit that comes on cactus… thorny from outside, but tender inside. And I realised that these two characters are also going through lots of hardships and pressure and still trying to navigate their journey to live the way they want to. Plus, the colour of the fruit is red, which we associate with love. And there's love blossoming between these two characters.”

One of the striking aspects of the film is its portrayal of queer love in a rural setting. But Rohan was clear in his approach. “While making the film, I was not thinking I'm making a film about queer characters. My intention was to show human beings first. Sexuality is just a part of their lives… I wanted to make this film where anyone can come and watch it. And watch this character as a human being first.”

When the film won big at Sundance and later found acclaim at IFFLA and MoMA in New York, Rohan admits he was surprised by how international audiences connected. “I was nervous… this film is so specific about this culture, this mourning culture, village and everything. But even the international audience resonated with the film equally… they were saying that the themes of the films are universal. The grief, the connection with your parents, falling in love — these are universal things.”

More and more Indian regional films have found global attention in recent times. Rohan emphatically states, “Sometimes we filmmakers have to be just honest and not make films to sensationalise some topics. Preserving your authenticity is more important. When you do that, anyone on the globe can see that you are honest. That reflects in your work. Then films will travel everywhere.”

“I am really happy that Sabar Bonda is a part of a new wave of Indian cinema. Not that we were not making good films before, but now the world is also taking note and giving that platform to Indian cinema as well. Like this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, we have 17 Indian films — that never happened before! Annapurna Roy’s film just won an award in Venice. I am just so happy about that and I just hope that this streak continues. I think this will inspire more filmmakers to take risks, to tell stories without watering down their essence or style.”

Sabar Bonda has found the backing from some big names like Nagraj Manjule, Nikkhil Advani, Vikramaditya Motwane, Saie Tamhankar, and Rana Daggubati. “We are doing this mainly for Indian release because indie filmmakers don't even have enough money to make films. Promotions are very expensive. These filmmakers already have their audience, and through them, films like ours can reach wider. I am so grateful that they are on board with this film.”

Rohan hopes the success of Sabar Bonda could open more doors for Marathi cinema. "I hope more and more producers from the Marathi industry come forward to support filmmakers who want to try something new. Otherwise, we will keep making the same thing again and again."

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For Rohan, cinema is always a mirror of the times we live in. “Like one of the aspects that you will see in the film is that farmers in India are not finding brides because there is a skewed sex ratio. People aborted female foetuses in 80s and 90s. So, there is not enough women. Also most women in the villages are educated while most men are not. So, these women don't want to marry farmers; they want some educated husband or someone who works in the city. That is the reality, right? And it's today's time. So, I think that happens all the time… I like to get inspired from real life. Life will show strange things, absurd things, weird things that no other film will show you.”

As our conversation wound down, Rohan signed off with a heartfelt request to experience his fruit of labour on the big screen.

Sabar Bonda released in theatres today.