Not Just a Queer Film: Rohan Kanawade on the Tenderness in Cactus Pears

When Rohan Kanawade returned to his family’s village to mourn his father, he carried more than grief. He carried a story. That story became Cactus Pears, the first Marathi-language film to premiere at Sundance and now making its Australian debut at the Melbourne International Film Festival. In this conversation, Rohan speaks to SBS Spice about finding tenderness between men without cliché, resisting the urge to define characters by their sexuality, and why rooting a film deeply in the soil it comes from can make it universal. Listen on SBS Spice.

Rohan Parashuram Kanawade joins SBS Spice to discuss Cactus Pears, the first Marathi-language film to premiere at Sundance, inspired by returning to his village after his father’s death. [Rohan's photo is courtesy of Gurmeet Satija]

Not all queer people are the same. I wanted to show two men being emotionally and physically with each other as normally and casually as possible.

Rohan Kanawade

SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick—or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Or tap the audio player to listen to the full episode.

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