Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Language: Hindi
Cast: Rajinikanth, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Aamir Khan, Upendra, Shruti Hassan, Sathyaraj and more
Duration: 2 hours 50 minutes
Rating: 3/5
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s directorial Coolie arrives with towering expectations – a massive star lineup including Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, and a crowd-pleasing cameo by Aamir Khan. While the film’s scale and ambition are evident, its execution stumbles in parts.
Coolie Movie Storyline, Plot
The plot follows Deva (Rajinikanth), whose childhood friend Rajashekar (Sathyaraj) dies under suspicious circumstances. Rajashekar’s eldest daughter Preethi (Shruti Haasan) prevents Deva from attending the funeral. Soon, Deva discovers the death was no cardiac arrest but a murder. Parallel to this, the police plant informers in the empire of mafia boss Simon (Nagarjuna), whose operations are run by Dayaal (Soubin Shahir). Rajashekar, it turns out, had been working under Simon to shield his daughters from a looming threat.
The first half is serviceable but sluggish. The second half, tighter and more gripping, delivers on the revenge drama promise. Rajinikanth’s entry scene is pure mass-cinema bliss. As one moment sees him bursting into a song with thumkas and full swag, the next shows him breaking down over the loss of a dear friend.
Coolie Stunt Scenes
Fight scenes in Coolie are gritty and often violent, relying on direct, heavy blows. Blood and physical damage are shown without much restraint, giving the confrontations a raw edge. Every major character in Coolie gets an introduction worthy of the film’s scale, with Lokesh Kanagaraj and his cinematographer framing each entry as a visual event.
Nagarjuna’s Anti-Hero
Nagarjuna’s introduction gets whistles, but the script sidelines him later, weakening the character’s impact. Interestingly, this is the first time that audience got to watch him as an antagonist, and he nailed his part.
Aamir Khan, in his limited screen time, makes a striking impression. Kanagaraj’s direction deserves praise for staging grand set pieces without losing sight of emotional beats. The music, while not groundbreaking, adds energy to the action and enhances dramatic moments.
Coolie’s Multi-Starrer Cast
Compared to other recent multi-starrer ventures like Housefull 5, which failed to make effective use of its power-packed ensemble, Coolie manages a better balance, even if not flawlessly.
In the end, Coolie is a watchable revenge drama with towering star power, memorable moments, and enough spectacle to satisfy though tighter writing could have made it a classic.
Coolie is now playing in theaters in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.
