When his beloved father dies, 30-year-old Anand is compelled by family to leave Mumbai for 10 days of mourning rites in rural western India. He finds reprieve from family pressures in the companionship of a local farmer, and they develop a tender intimacy. As the mourning rituals taper and Mumbai calls for his return, the fate of his relationship becomes uncertain.

CACTUS PEARS was the first Marathi-language film to premiere at Sundance, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. Rated at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, this feature directorial debut by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade renders the realities of lower-class queer life in India with exquisite care, intending to challenge the misconception that queer experiences are limited to the upper class. 

The western Indian countryside sings in place of a background score, with a crisp and layered soundscape designed from on-set field recordings. Combined with the still, painterly frames, an almost transcendent quality arises, evoking a mix of dreaminess, tropical sluggishness, cotton-mouthed desire, and warm grief.
 

In Marathi with English Subtitles.

Rated R21 for Homosexual Theme.

Presented By NBCUniversal International and Filmhouse as part of Pink Screen 2026.