Rohan Kanawade on Sundance win: Recognition for ‘Sabar Bonda’ is a victory for Marathi cinema

A poster of ‘Sabar Bonda’.
| Photo Credit: rohan_kanawade/Instagram

Marathi filmmaker Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Sabar Bondaclinched the Grand Jury Prize under the World Cinema: Dramatic category at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday (February 01, 2025). The director said that the Sundance honour was a victory for Marathi cinema.

“Winning Sundance is every independent filmmaker’s dream, and for Sabar Bonda to be recognized in such monumental way is beyond words,” he said.

“This film is personal, it’s universal, and this award proves the authentic, heartfelt stories will always find their audience—no matter where they come from. This is victory for Marathi cinema, Indian cinema, and for every filmmaker dreaming of telling their story,” added Rohan.

The film, part autobiographical, part fiction, traces the tender love story of two young men in a Maharashtrian village. Producer Neeraj Churi praised the film’s universal theme. “This recognition is a testament to Rohan’s vision, and the talented team that came together to achieve it. Sabar Bonda is a story rooted in Maharashtra, but the themes of grief and love are universal. We cannot wait to bring the film home to India, and to share it with the rest of the world,” he said.

The film, starring Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, and Jayashri Jagtap, was screened at Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022-2023, Film London Production Finance Market, NFDC Film Bazaar, Goes to Cannes and Venice Gap Finance Market. Vikas Urs has done the cinematography while Anandi Athaley has edited Sabar Bonda.

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Presenting the award, the jury, comprising Ava Cahen, Daniel Kaluuya and Wanuri Kahiu, said, “This is the great modern love story. To say it’s an honor to award this tender film an understatement. We cried, we laughed, and we wished to be loved in the same way. It is exactly what the world needs right now. This authentic point of view opens the door to an intimate language we all understand.”