Naale Rajaa Koli Majaa release: Koli Taal maker Abhilash Shetty’s next sets theatrical date

Independent filmmaker Abhilash Shetty’s second feature film, Naale Rajaa Koli Majaa, which has been on the festival circuit, is gearing up for a theatrical outing. Abhilash had earlier made a film called Koli Taal, a story about an elderly couple eagerly awaiting the arrival of their grandson, who is visiting them after a while. As a special gesture, the duo decides that their prized rooster be slaughtered for dinner. But when the time comes to get the chicken ready, they realize that it’s missing. The investigation into how the rooster went missing forms the rest of the narrative.

Also read: Koli Taal movie review: Simple tale, set in a quaint village in Karnataka, which warms the cockles of the heart 

Chicken curry on Gandhi Jayanti at the crux of Naale Rajaa Koli Majaa

Koli Taal starred Prabhakar Kunder and Radha Ramachander as the elderly couple, while Abhilash was the grandson. In Naale Rajaa Koli Majaa, he repeats his two of his lead cast members, but makes the story about an 11-year-old girl who sets off on an adventure in pursuit of a forbidden chicken curry on Gandhi Jayanti, a day on which sale of meat is prohibited. Samrudhi Kundapura plays the young girl. The film, which is part of Abhilash’s ‘koli’ trilogy, is ending its festival run and heading to theatres.

Abhilash has announced that the film, which had been censored U, will be in theatres on May 9, 2025. Like Koli Taal, the filmmaker has yet again drawn on his personal experiences and love for the family’s special chicken curry for Naale Rajaa Koli Majaa. But given that the story is set on Gandhi Jayanti, there is a political undertone to it. Incidentally, the film had been submitted to the Bengaluru International Film Festival under three categories, but did not make it in any, which, as Abhilash explains is because the selection committee had not seen it.

Also read: Exclusive! Theatres, OTT platforms show no interest in festival films, says Koli Taal director Abhilash Shetty 

The private viewing link that he shared for consideration has registered only 1 view, although he had paid for Asian Cinema, Indian Cinema and Kannada Cinema and should have mandatorily got 3 views. He had questioned this on social media, wondering if there was a fair review process, after all.