Set in rural Maharashtra, Cactus Pears follows Anand (Bhushaan Manoj), a Mumbai call-centre worker who returns to his ancestral village to observe the ten-day mourning ritual following his father’s death. While navigating the pressures of family expectations and marriage, he reconnects with Balya (Suraaj Suman), a childhood friend facing similar struggles. Over the course of the mourning period, their bond deepens into a tender and intimate relationship, creating a quiet exploration of grief, identity and queer love within a traditional rural community.
The Garden Cinema View:
This lovely films immerses us in the countryside of Western India, and the rhythms of a son’s ritual mourning period for his father. Ostensibly a queer love story, Cactus Pears (pleasantly) surprises by lowering the stakes and dramatic flashpoints, and stripping away the shame that we have come to expect from the likes of Brokeback Mountain and God’s Own Country. Anand’s sexuality is simply accepted by his parents, a fact that feels quietly radical in this conservative society. Making his feature debut, Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s screen is highly sensual, lingering on the movement of wind through the trees, food preparation and consumption, and the tactility between the two friends. A meditative and transportive viewing experience.
