Cactus Pears

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1:57

Cactus Pears

Nov 2025

1h 52m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Anand, a 30-something city dweller compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with a local farmer who is struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress.

Critics Consensus

Directed with a razor-sharp eye for character by Rohan Kanawade, Cactus Pears is an understated romance that gracefully pulls out the prickles from grief.

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Natalia Winkelman

New York Times

While the film centers on the comfort Anand finds with Balya and vice versa, it is also an elegantly reserved study of Anand’s grief, finding a rhythm in its scenes of ritual that allows us to ache alongside.

Nov 20, 2025

Full Review

Charles Lyons-Burt

Slant Magazine

The film is at its best when it fashions itself as a kind of ouroboros where the future and the past, death and new love, circle back on one another.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 16, 2025

Full Review

Lovia Gyarkye

The Hollywood Reporter

In less assured hands, Cactus Pears might have edged into trite territory, yielding to the familiar beats of trauma-laden queer love stories, but Kanawade’s considered direction and spare storytelling keep the narrative refreshing.

Jul 31, 2025

Full Review

Gregory Nussen

Screen Rant

As Anand navigates the prickly traditionalist, religious culture from which he came, Kanawade softly depicts the nervy, yet exhilarating process of self-actualization with sweet, soft care.

Rated: 8/10

Nov 24, 2025

Full Review

Joseph Neff

Spectrum Culture

An unusually assured debut, this Indian romantic drama thrives on great performances and quiet attention to detail.

Nov 24, 2025

Full Review

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

Packed with local traditions and interpersonal details, the film is powerfully involving as writer-director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade continually finds unexpected layers of resonance.

Rated: 4.5/5

Nov 23, 2025

Full Review

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Rahul S

Moved at a decent pace. Really moving story of not only the romantic relationship between two men but also the love between a mother and her son. Strongly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/25/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Pride in 1 hour and 52 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/21/25

Full Review

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Rohan Kanawade

Director

Bhushaan Manoj

Anand

Suraaj Suman

Balya

Jayshri Jagtap

Suman

Harish Baraskar

Raja Mama

Ram Daund

Gajanan

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Cactus Pears: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Anand, a 30-something city dweller compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with a local farmer who is struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress.

Director: Rohan Kanawade
Producer: Naren Chandavarkar, Neeraj Churi, Rohan Kanawade, Mohamed Khaki, Sidharth Meer, Kaushik Ray, Hareesh Reddypalli
Screenwriter: Rohan Kanawade
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: Dark Stories, Lotus Visual Productions, Moonweave Films, Taran Tantra Telefilms, Bridge PostWorks
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: Marathi
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 52m