Queerguru reviews the World Premiere of CACTUS PEAR : a heartfelt journey of discovery in rural India

At its height in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the British Empire was the largest in history and, for a century, was the foremost global power. At its peak, they held sway over 412 million people, 23 percent of the world population at the time, and by 1920, it covered 35.5 million km 24 percent of the Earth’s total land area. As rulers, the British imposed their own sense of Victorian morals and Laws regardless of local traditions, and when they departed these conquered countries they left behind all the Laws they had imposed.

This included India which gained independence in 1947 BUT it took another 70 years before its own Supreme Court finally ruled in 2018 that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalized same-sex sex, was unconstitutional. Despite this Indian filmmakers have been making a whole raft of queer cinema from as far back as 197I.

Granted the first film Badnam Basti was not considered a success on any level, it did mark the start of a mini Indian LGBTQ film industry that includes wee gems such as Loev (2015), Ka Bodyscapes (2018)  (See Queerguru’s list of  Top Indian Queer Movies from 2019).  Cactus Pear just had its Premiere at Sundance and is a very welcome addition to this.

The story is steeped in the traditions and culture of rural India, and the caste system.  It’s about Anand (Bhushaan Manoj) a single 30-something-year-old man who lives in Mumbai and whose father has just died.  His grief is exasperated as he has to go back to his family home in a remote village and participate in the 10 days of mourning after the funeral.  It means that he will face the inevitable question of why he is still unmarried.

Whilst back in his village he reunites with his childhood friend Balya  (Suraaj Suman) who has also avoided the pressure to select a wife. We gradually learn that they had a physical connection in the past, but now as they are both entrenched in their different lives, they (and we) are unsure if there is still an attraction, and where it could lead too

This excellent unpredictable slow-burning love story is the debut feature from writer and director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade and gives us a beautiful insight into the struggles of being one’s true self in a community that doesn’t recognize individuality or any deviance from the norm.  The fact that it’s based on a semi-autographical story gives it such authenticity which combined with such nuanced performances from the two main actors make it a glorious addition to the canon of Indian queer cinema.  It deservedly won Sundance’s 2025 Winner Grand Jury Prize

Review by ROGER WALKER-DACK.

Creator, Owner, Editor-in-Chief.  Miami Beach, FL / Provincetown, MA

Member of G.A.L.E.C.A. (Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association) and NLGJA The Association of LGBT Journalists. and The Online Film Critics Society. Ex Contributing Editor The Gay Uk & Contributor Edge Media Former CEO and Menswear Designer of  Roger Dack Ltd in the UK ‘one of the hardest-working journalists in the business‘ Micheal Goff of Towleroad