Sabar Bonda, a fiction feature from Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, is set to release in theatres of India on September 19. The film, which won the Grand Jury Prize, the highest honour at the Sundance Film Festival 2025, is distributed by Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media. (Also read: Sabar Bonda review: First-ever Marathi film at Sundance is a tender, deeply moving study of queer love in rural India)
Selected from around 17,000 submissions worldwide, it stood as India’s only feature in competition and marked another milestone as the first Marathi-language film ever to premiere at the festival.
About Sabar Bonda
Sabar Bonda stars Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, and Jayshri Jagtap. It revolves around Anand, a city-dweller grappling with personal loss and familial pressures, as he embarks on a 10-day mourning ritual in his ancestral village. Amid the rugged beauty of western India, he finds solace and connection with Balya, a childhood friend facing similar societal expectations.
Acclaimed filmmakers Nagraj Manjule, Nikkhil Advani, Saie Tamhankar and Vikramaditya Motwane serve as executive producers on the project.
Kanawade said the film is a part of him. “This film is a part of me, shaped by the people and moments that have made me who I am. To watch it grow from an idea to finding recognition at Sundance, and now finally bringing it home, feels deeply humbling and overwhelming. Partnering with Spirit Media to release this film in India is truly special,” he said in a statement.
“What makes this journey even more meaningful is the support of incredible filmmakers like Nagraj Manjule, Nikkhil Advani, Saie Tamhankar and Vikramaditya Motwane who have come on board as Executive Producers. To have such voices championing Sabar Bonda is both an honor and a source of great strength,” he added.
Daggubati said “Sabar Bonda” is a “tender yet powerful film”.
“‘Sabar Bonda’ is a tender yet powerful film, deeply rooted in its characters while speaking to something universal. Winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance is a landmark moment for the film and for Indian cinema at large. With Sabar Bonda, Rohan has delivered a remarkable debut! Spirit Media is proud to bring this film to audiences in India and to champion its journey as it reaches the world,” he said.
