Kothapallilo Okappudu

Among the already rarefied group of independent Telugu filmmakers, Praveena Paruchuri is singular, not just for being a woman in an overwhelmingly male-dominated industry, but also an Indian-American with a penchant for telling local stories. It's a strikingly unique combination, all the more so because it has given rise to some of recent Telugu cinema's most rooted and rural films, including C/o Kancharapalem and Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya, both of which she produced.

Kotthapallilo Okappudu finds Paruchuri back in a rustic setting, this time in the director's chair, herding an....