Coolie Movie Review: Lokesh Kanagaraj Delivers a Unique Standalone Film for Rajinikanth

After two years of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s craftsmanship, Coolie has performed well on the screens. Lokesh Kanagaraj’s signature universe breaks out, and Coolie is a standalone film, as he mentioned in previous interviews and his bulletin statements. Let’s look at the review!

First, the movie’s plot follows the protagonist, Deva (Rajinikanth), as he searches for the real reason behind his friend’s murder. We watch how his search progresses, what he finds, and where the plot goes.

The superstar Rajinikanth’s character elevation has a different style in his films, but Lokesh literally revamps Rajini’s vintage style in Coolie. In Kollywood, Rajinikanth is the epitome of style, and Lokesh proves this once again with his vintage style throughout the film. His character, Deva, is a friend of Rajasekar (Sathyaraj) and owns a mansion with his colleagues. Everything connects in the movie with Lokesh’s unique style. The team used de-aging technology for the spectacular flashback scene with Rajinikanth. Deva’s character is the backbone of Coolie, making it a real fan fest for the fanatics who celebrate his style and performance.

The antagonist, Simon (Nagarjuna), owns a harbor in Visakhapatnam. His trusted lieutenant, Dayal (Soubin Shahir), runs a smuggling and trafficking syndicate that encounters Deva in a revengeful way. Nagarjuna’s role is quite minimal but authentically crafted by Lokesh Kanagaraj, and the character is driven with great elevation and villainy. His son, Arjun, also plays a crucial role in the film.

Soubin Shahir, a natural actor, speaks louder with his realistic acting skills in the film. He performs at his peak next to Rajinikanth, and the audience will applaud his raw performance.

After 30 years, Sathyaraj shares the screen with Rajinikanth, and this plot makes a gripping connection between Rajasekar and Deva. Shruthi Haasan, who plays Preethi, also has a great major role in the film and helps the plot in every way.

The actor Upendra, playing a raw cameo as Kaleesha, delivers a power-packed performance and smashes the action scenes next to Rajinikanth.

Anirudh Ravichander’s music is the pillar of the film. Each BGM and each character has a unique score. The “Manson” song and “Monica” entertain in between the thriller. Throughout the film, the background score grips the plot, and the “I’m the danger” song for Nagarjuna will surely sync with his character, just like Coolie‘s powerhouse.

The film has received a mixed review from the audience. For Rajini fans, the film is a gem from Lokesh Kanagaraj because each of Rajini’s performances in Coolie brings back his vintage era, particularly in the flashback. Everything for Rajini fans connects well. However, some audience members who expect Lokesh’s films to be like the director’s previous films are always getting disappointed. This is not just for Coolie.

After Maanagaram, Lokesh made Vikram with Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan, sharing writing space with him. The film collected well at the box office and received good reviews from the audience. Then, with only a few months, Lokesh faced huge pressure from the Leo team, which included early fixed dates and forcing creativity, so the film did not meet audience expectations as widely, but Vijay fans enjoyed it. In Coolie, Lokesh has made a unique standalone film for superstar Rajinikanth in his own style.

However, fans still compare Vikram with Coolie, and some even compare Leo with Coolie. Filmmaking does not work this way. Each film has its own plot and unique storytelling. While Coolie is not a peak script and has an average story, the way Lokesh twists and narrates the story creates excitement for the audience. Coolie is a decent film to watch.

The movie editor, Philomin Raj, cinematographer Girish Gangadharan, stunt masters Anbariv, and dialogue writer Chandhru Anbazhagan all crafted the film well.

Coolie is another good film for Lokesh Kanagaraj and one of Rajini’s best!