Rohan Kanawade’s ‘Sabar Bonda’ is an exquisite, delicate slice of life about a gay man dealing with the death of his father

This assured debut feature is the first Marathi film to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize Dramatic at the 2025 edition. The rest of this review may contain spoilers.

Even before we learn Anand’s name, we see his face in a super-tight closeup. And then, suddenly, the private image becomes public. The face that was shared only between Anand and us is now seen in relation to his surroundings. The frame turns super-wide, and we see that Anand is in a hospital and there are people visiting and his father has died. Anand is no longer his own person. He has to go from his home in Mumbai to his village for the death rituals that will last several days. He doesn’t want to go. He is 30 and gay, and he doesn’t want to be questioned about his marriage. But he is not a rebel, and so he obeys. He tries to make small talk. He tries to recognise his relatives. He tries to follow the traditions he is asked to follow, like “no footwear” and “no rice or milk” and “sleep on the floor”.

You can read the rest of the review here:

https://www.galattaplus.com/rohan-kanawades-sabar-bonda-is-an-exquisite-delicate-slice-of-life-about-a-gay-man-dealing-with-the-death-of-his-father/

You can watch the trailer / video review here:

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