What Tollywood doesn’t know about the Sundance success of a Bengali lawyer’s Marathi film
Times of India | 12 February 2025
Kaushik Ray with director Rohan Kanawade at Sundance Film Festival KOLKATA: Many in Kolkata are unaware that a lawyer-turned-filmmaker with roots in this metropolis is one of the minds behind Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Marathi film ‘Sabar Bonda’ that secured the prestigious top prize in the World Cinema: Dramatic category at Sundance Film Festival. Partner and Head of Global Strategy at boutique law firm Trinity International LLP during working hours, Kaushik Ray pursues his passion as a filmmaker before joining the production of this Sundance winning film. Ray recently unveiled his debut film, ‘The Lime Green Shirt’, starring Lillete Dubey in the role of an immigrant Bengali mother in the UK.
Kaushik Ray with the team of ‘Sabar Bonda’ post the win.
Ray spent a brief stint as a film lawyer, handling distribution deals for the Oscar-winning 'Slumdog Millionaire' before returning to his practice as an international development finance lawyer. Balancing his legal career with cinema presents its own set of challenges.
“I’m fortunate that I have an established career and client base, after 20+ years working in international development finance. My firm didn’t want to let me go. So, we agreed that I would stay in a part time role as partner, and focus on strategy and business development whilst leaving the client-facing transactional work to my partners and junior colleagues. I do two days a week in the office for the 'day job' allowing me time and space (and financial freedom) to work on films the other five days. There’s no rest for the wicked!” he said.
A still from ‘Sabar Bonda’
'Sabar Bonda', the Marathi film garnering attention in international circuits, intricately explores themes of homosexuality, familial bonds, and societal expectations, set against the backdrop of a traditional Indian village. At Sundance, Ray was at a restaurant for lunch when an all-American white couple at the adjacent table discussed films they wished to see at the festival. It was a pleasant surprise when he saw them busy booking tickets for ‘Sabar Bonda’ since it was a film they wanted to “watch”. “Amidst all the positive press and reviews, it was gratifying to feel that the ‘buzz’ had permeated down to the man on the street. The jury citation was also lovely,” Ray added.
On being asked what prompted a Bengali lawyer-turned-director to produce a Marathi film, Ray said, “Just before lockdown I met some other filmmakers and activists at a literary festival in Delhi. I was there to discuss the journey and arc of equalities legislation in Europe and the US.
I realised there were numerous amazing stories to be told across India but what was often lacking was grassroots funding. So, I decided to establish a film and TV production company to amplify these diverse voices from India and the Indian diaspora,” Ray said.
In the initial months, he selected a short film by a Bengali trans filmmaker, Pradipta Ray, and one by a filmmaker from the Dalit community (Nishant Roy Bombarde) and subsequently, this feature 'Sabar Bonda' (‘Cactus Pears’). Pradipta’s film, 'Muhafiz', premiered at BFI Flare in London and 'Gair', at the NY Indian Film Festival in 2022. 'Muhafiz' and 'Gair' are Hindi-language while 'Sabar Bonda' is in Marathi. Ray has two other projects under development that are in Bengali, including one where he is the writer/director.
The recent success of Marathi cinema has been a talking point in Bengal too. On being asked about his observations about the success, he said, “Regional cinema in general has been flourishing in India of late, including internationally. 'All We Imagine as Light' is predominantly in Malayali. It’s time that we recognised that local stories can be enjoyed universally. People in Europe watch French, German, Danish and Italian films in the cinema regularly. We all watch TV dramas from South Korea. As long as there are proper subtitles or dubbing, cinema can be a beautiful eye on the world. Ultimately, the human experience is universal,” he explained, hoping for the continued success of Marathi cinema.
On being asked if Tollywood needs to do anything to emulate the success that contemporary Marathi cinema is now enjoying, Ray emphasised that stories need to be universal. “Things that are too local or culturally specific are unlikely to succeed nationally or internationally unless at their heart they are authentic and universal and told in a way that can be related to by everyone," Ray said, adding that 'Sabar Bonda' was crafted with "an eye" very deliberately on "an international audience".
“It’s about intentionality,” he said. According to him, there is no reason a Bengali language or Bengali subject matter film could not flourish internationally. He cites ‘Baksho Bondhi’ as an instance of a contemporary Bengali film premiering this year at Berlin. “We have two such films under development; one with a trans writer/producer and one about a female love story set in late 60s Kolkata.
In a sense, Bengali TV and film production companies are spoiled by an enormous captive audience of Bengali speakers. I understand why they focus on the domestic market and its tastes. But the talent and creativity and potential are enormous,” he said, hoping that the next few years will bring yet more Bangla cinema to the same stages as 'AWIAL' and 'Sabar Bonda'.