Cactus Pears
Original title: Amar bajo las espinas
Sabar Bonda (Marathi for 'Cactus Pears') is a 2025 romantic drama film written and directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, in his feature directorial debut. It follows Anand (Bhushaan Manoj), a man from the city who returns to his hometown following a death in the family, and reconnects romantically with his childhood friend Balya (Suraaj Suman). The film had its world premiere at the World Cinema Competition of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 26 January, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. It...
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Credits and facts
Movie details
- Original title
- Amar bajo las espinas
- Release date
- 26 January 2025
- Runtime
- 113 minutes
- Country
- India
- Languages
- Marathi
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
- Director
- Rohan Kanawade, Rohan Parashuram Kanawade
- Cast
- Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, Jayshri Jagtap
- Producers
- Neeraj Churi, Mohamed Khaki, Kaushik Ray, Hareesh Reddypalli, Naren Chandavarkar
- Production company
- Lotus Visual Productions, Dark Stories, Moonweave Films, Taran Tantra Telefilms
Spoiler-free synopsis
Sabar Bonda (Marathi for 'Cactus Pears') is a 2025 romantic drama film written and directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, in his feature directorial debut. It follows Anand (Bhushaan Manoj), a man from the city who returns to his hometown following a death in the family, and reconnects romantically with his childhood friend Balya (Suraaj Suman). The film had its world premiere at the World Cinema Competition of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 26 January, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. It was the first Marathi-language film to premiere at the festival.
For families
Editorial guidance
Context for discussing the story and deciding whether it fits your household.
Positive messages
Constructive themes or examples.Potential constructive discussion around Cactus Pears can focus on character choices, responsibility, empathy, perseverance and the consequences of decisions. Where the Drama, Romance material creates conflict, parents can use it to discuss safer alternatives, respectful communication and how people respond to pressure. These themes are editorial discussion prompts, not claims that every one appears explicitly on screen.
Negative behaviours
Conduct that may need context.Parents should be alert to behaviour commonly associated with Drama, Romance, including conflict, deception, fear, risky choices or emotionally intense exchanges where applicable. Because detailed scene-level evidence is not equally available for every title in this catalogue, this section avoids claiming specific acts that were not verified. Use the certified age marker when available and preview the film for especially sensitive children.
Topics to discuss
Conversation starters after viewing.Useful family discussion questions include: What motivates the central characters? Which decisions create avoidable problems? How could conflicts be handled more responsibly? Do the film's relationships model respect and consent? How does the story portray courage, loyalty, justice or forgiveness? For older children, compare entertainment choices with real-world consequences and distinguish dramatic exaggeration from healthy behaviour.
Final recommendation
Our family-viewing take
Suggested minimum age: 12+. The overall family verdict is mostly. Children below that age may need stronger parental guidance, especially if Drama, Romance includes tension, violence, fear, crime, romance or mature emotional themes. Teen suitability improves with context and discussion. Shared family viewing is recommended when parents want to address the strongest concerns rather than relying on genre labels alone.
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