Keswick Film Club - Reviews - Cactus Pears

Living as a gay man in cosmopolitan Mumbai is one thing but returning to the family village in rural Maharashtra presents a whole different set of challenges.

Such is the premise of Rohan Kanawade's intriguing film, Cactus Pears, which is based on his own experience following the death of his father. Anand is a call centre worker living with his supportive parents in the city. When his beloved father dies, he must return to the family’s home village for the funeral ceremony, which lasts for 10 days and imposes a complex series of restrictions on the immediate family – you must stay inside for the full period; you cannot wear shoes or wear a cap; you must sleep on the floor; you may not eat rice. The soul of the deceased is dependent their observation.

Anand's arrival in the village causes an immediate problem as he is seen to be wearing a black tee shirt, against another tenet of the ritual code. His protestations that it is grey serve to highlight the disconnect between not only city and countryside but between the generations, where tradition counts for less.

As a single man in his 30's, Anand feels the full weight of expectation from aunts, uncles and cousins. Why are you not married? Why do you not return more often? We can find a girl for you. His Mother acts as a bulwark against to tide of disapproval and insists that even as an unmarried man he should be allowed the honour of lighting his father's funeral pyre.

It is Anand's reconnection with his childhood friend Balya that is central to the tale. Borrowing a pair of Balya's slippers (no shoes – remember?) they slip out into the fields (another flouting of tradition) with Balya's goats, reminisce and rekindle their 'illicit' affection. Balya faces the same pressure to marry on a daily basis, harassed by a father who is nowhere near as compassionate as was Anand's.

With no future in the countryside, Balya goes with Anand to find his way in Mumbai, with Anand's remarkable mother staying on with the family, to give the two men some space. It is only when he is home again in Mumbai and the pressure of an emotionally charged 10 days is released that Anand can genuinely grieve for his father.

Cactus Pears is a beautiful, multi-layered film. A tender love story, a family drama and for an outsider, an insight into a culture as complex as it is ancient.