As against the big/theatrical screen, the laptop hardly captures human stillness well. I realised this in the opening shot of Rohan Parusharam Kanawade’s Marathi film Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), when the camera zooms-in for long on the resting face of the lead character (brilliant Bhushaan Manoj). Nothing moves. I thought my laptop had hung. These static but life-like frames are fairly common, throughout Kanawade’s film, about the death of father—and a gentle/subtle romance blooming in the ‘native’ Maharashtrian village, between grieving son, and his local friend (Suraaj Suman). It’s based on personal experiences of writer-director Kanawade, 38, whose dad used to be a chauffeur/driver, in Mumbai—where Kanawade was born/raised, in a chawl, in the western suburb. Sabar Bonda, his debut feature, premiered at the top, American, 2025 Sundance Film Festival—first Marathi movie to do so—and picked up World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, to top that! Those static images in the film too come from life itself, as Kanawade tells me, over the phone from New York, shortly after celebrating his Sundance win. “I was trying to create the portrait of the time in my uncle’s village [for father’s funeral, in 2016]. There was only my mother and I, in one place; looking outside, doing nothing [for 10 days]. That silence and stillness had to be part of the film.” Those days are neatly punctuated in the film, with longish blackouts on the screen. First shot onwards, the film flows seamlessly, engagingly—from one scene into another, like a river of sorrow, kindness, care, humour... It exhibits the sort of empathy we seek in our films, since we witness so little of it in the world around. How? Column link in bio. #SabarBonda

Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) Dir. Rohan Parashuram Kanawade (@ROHAN_kanawade) WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION #Sundance

In an exclusive interview with @TheSouthfirst, queer producer and @LotusVisualPro founder Neeraj Churi talks all about challenges in getting funds for queer films, systematic bias, & hurdles faced in creating an inclusive & diverse film landscape in India. thesouthfirst.com/entertainm…

Proud to be walking in London Pride 2023 with Allies, representing the Indian & South Asian #LGBTQ communities in UK 🙏🏽💜💙❤️ @PrideInLondon @joshi_london @ferociousoxide @LotusVisualPro @Pavan_Joshi_ @QueerhanKhan @munishce @mitesh_bhatt #pride #PrideInLondon #NeverMarchAlone

"My journey has been shaped by lack of queer representation in Indian films and TV" Founder of @LotusVisualPro and film producer Neeraj Churi talks about the nuance of queer writing, casting LGBTQIA actors, intersectionality and more. mid-day.com/lifestyle/cultur…