Vague Visages’ Koli Taal review contains minor spoilers. Abhilash Shetty’s 2021 movie on Tubi (also known as The Chicken Curry) features Prabhakar Kunder, Radha Ramachandra and Ganesh Mogaveera. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

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Koli Taal, the debut feature from Indian filmmaker Abhilash Shetty, plays out like a Dostoevskian tale of crime and punishment. Set in the Western Ghats, the drama revolves around a proud man named Mahabala Shetty (Prabhakar Kunder) and his wife, Vanaja (Radha Ramachandra), as they host their New Delhi-based grandson (the director, Shetty, as Sumanth). Hoping to prepare a chicken curry meal, Mahabala clashes with three workers when a rooster goes missing. Shetty shows great promise with his universally relatable story, one that’s rooted in local (Karnataka) culture and captured with ease through cinematographer Swaroop Yashwanth.

Shetty is a patient and observant filmmaker. Rather than rushing the drama along in Koli Taal, he spends the first act establishing the protagonists’ personalities and values. Mahabala bickers playfully with Vanaja at home, and then haggles lightly at a local food market. And he puffs away on biddis (mini-cigars) while reciting a Yakshagana poem when he’s not enjoying Kannada serials on television. The actors Kunder and Ramachandra share fantastic chemistry in Koli Taal as Shetty chronicles their characters’ weekly routines, whether it’s spreading cow dung water or planning for ritualistic animal sacrifices. In addition, farm laborers like Manja (Ganesh Mogaveera), Sathisha (Sharath Devadiga) and Haala (Guruprasad Nairy) receive strong character development as they discuss gambling (“lottery bullshit”), lady deities and digestive issues, all of which set the stage for the inciting incident: the disappearance of a coveted rooster.

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Vithor Moraes’ sound design creates a peaceful atmosphere in Koli Taal, even before the film officially begins. As a rooster crows, Mahabala walks slow and talks tough but never gets angry. Likewise, Vanaja gleefully teases her husband while handling her business without any assistance. Surprisingly, Shetty himself receives the least character development in Koli Taal as Sumanth, though the grandson’s presence functions as a calming force on the farm, one that ultimately leads to an epiphany. The director’s character-friendly editing betrays the long static shots of “slow cinema” productions on the festival circuit, and so many wide shots feel like genuine movie-making “moments,” though some second-half sequences appear slightly jittery. Overall, there’s a spiritual aspect that emerges in Koli Taal from the way Shetty and his cinematographer capture the surrounding forest. The farm is sacred ground, certainly for Mahabala, who vows to learn the truth about his missing rooster after visiting an astrologer (Suresh Shetty). Koli Taal may seem like a comedy on paper, due to its simple premise, but it’s very much a character-driven drama about the protagonists’ give-and-take relationship with nature.

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Koli Taal never feels boring or pretentious. Shetty incorporates many art house-style visuals but quickly pulls back to the main drama. Plus, the conversations feel natural and relatable, especially when Sathisha eats too much and must explain himself to Mahabala before bursting from the inside. And though Shetty’s character sketches don’t necessarily translate to BIG acting moments, it’s the regional subtleties that boost the suspense, as each main player searches for something of immediate value. It’s amazing what an emerging writer-director can accomplish by staying true to the basic elements of filmmaking and then building upon the foundation by applying a creative vision to a relatively simple yet regionally specific story.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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