Sundance winner, Marathi-language movie ‘Sabar Bonda’ releases in theatres tomorrow

Sabar Bonda’s theatrical journey is also supported by acclaimed filmmakers Nagraj Manjule, Nikkhil Advani, Saie Tamhankar and Vikramaditya Motwane. They have come on board as the film’s executive producers. Talking about it, Advani said, “Sundance is where some of the most iconic voices of world cinema — Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, the Coen Brothers were first discovered, and now, through Rohan and Sabar Bonda, India stands on that same map of discovery and credibility.”

Advani believes that Kanawade “represents the very best of a new generation of storytellers”. He added, “Rohan’s journey from humble beginnings to the world’s most prestigious stage is a reminder of why we make films: to connect, to move, to endure.”

Speaking about the movie, Kanawade had earlier mentioned that this film is a part of him, shaped by the people and moments that have made him who he is. “To watch it grow from an idea to finding recognition at Sundance, and now finally bringing it home, feels deeply humbling and overwhelming,” he said.

Rohan comes from a humble background, raised in a one-room house in a Mumbai slum by a chauffeur father and homemaker mother. He is a self-made filmmaker with a background in interior design. His first feature Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) was developed in the Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022-2023 under the working title Arms of a Man. It was also part of Film London Production Finance Market 2021, NFDC Marathi Script Camp 2021, Film Bazaar 2022, Venice Gap Financing Market 2023 and Goes to Cannes 2024.