Regarding his feature film, Kulkarni says, “I submitted my script to Hubert Bals and applied for post-production costs. Post shooting, I sent them the rushes first, followed by the rough cut. Valu is the only Indian project to receive this funding this year.” It is probably the first Marathi film as well to get this honour. Kulkarni goes on to say, “ I produced the film myself with the help of close friends, working on a very tight budget while ensuring that we did not compromise on quality. We needed DI technology where the Hubert Bals fund really helped.”

Valu is about a small village in Maharashtra, which finds itself in fear of a destructive wild bull. Two city officials arrive to catch the bull, which they find far more tricky than they anticipate. They travel with a documentary filmmaker from the city who films their mission. The camera interests and involves the village folk far more than cornering the bull. After many adventures of their own and with the village elders and inhabitants, they finally succeed. The film looks at village life on many levels, ranging from political rivalry, family tensions, forbidden love, all of which is observed with wit and subtlety. What emerges are aspects of the human mind: on one side a sense of curiosity, mystery, competitiveness and friendship, and on the other, abrasive egos, the blinkered one-sidedness of religion, and the tenacious will and need to survive.

The film has an ensemble of top Marathi talent including Atul Kulkarni, Dr. Mohan Agashe, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Bharati Acharekar, Girish Kulkarni and Nirmitee Sawant. Kulkarni has written the story and screenplay along with Girish Kulkarni. The film’s cinematography is by Sudheer Palsane with music by Mangesh Dhakde, editing by Niraj Voralia and sound design by Neeraj Gera. The film is produced by Aantarik Films.