Coolie (2025) – My Flash Review!

The release of Coolie coincided with 50 years of Rajinikanth in cinema. As the title credits roll, an animated sequence showcasing some of Rajini’s best roles flashes before us. This segment, which lasts about a minute, is very well made and takes us on a nostalgic journey through Rajinikanth’s iconic work, which has made him what he is today. When the film ended, I realised that the best part of the film was just that. Coolie is Lokesh Kanakaraj’s fan service to Rajini that does a total disservice to the fans.

I have said this before, and I am saying it again. Usually, directors or writers start with a one-line story, develop a script around it with plot points, and then try to fit in commercial elements like song and dance sequences, action sequences, etc., into the screenplay. In Lokesh’s case, he first decides on the action set pieces and then tries to weave a story and plot points around them. Result – you have convoluted twists and turns, back-and-forth scenes, and random characters with backstories that leave you totally confused about what is happening. Now, add to this the pressure to make it Pan-Indian, casting stars from other languages in roles that add no real value to the screenplay.

Lokesh’s Coolie heavily borrows from Nelson’s Jailer in its sequences. However, while it worked in Jailer, it feels like a pale imitation here. From casting other language stars just for action scenes, including a touch of wry humour in intense moments, to stars puffing bidis in a cyclic pattern, and having a Malayalam-speaking villain, all seem heavily inspired by Jailer. In Jailer, Nelson has Rajini mainly orchestrate the action without performing it himself. In Coolie, Rajini is required to do much of the heavy lifting in intense action scenes, which I must say, Rajini manages to do with aplomb, even at his age. Jailer succeeded because Nelson stuck to just one theme in terms of story. In Coolie, the story wanders all over the place.

The panoply of stars in Coolie doesn’t work at all. Aamir Khan, in a cameo, appears as a comedic element towards the end. Nagarjuna, looking as fit and youthful as ever, tries hard to be menacing but fails. Upendra comes for a few minutes to perform some stunts when Rajini tires. Shruti Haasan is the female lead and does justice to the role, although the character is poorly written and conceived. Soubin Shahir, a talented actor in Malayalam with notable performances in films like Ela Veezha Poonchira and Sudani from Nigeria, shows his versatility as the main antagonist. Rachita Ram is another performer who makes an impact within the large cast. What was Sathyaraj doing in the film?

Like in Jailer, this is an ideal role for Rajinikanth. He plays his age almost perfectly, delivering the expected mass scenes with flair. He is, unfortunately, let down by a tepid script. In one particularly long monologue sequence towards the end, he effectively narrates a past story without slowing the scene’s pace. But Rajini’s presence alone cannot make a film work when the script is just about stitching together action sequences.

One doesn’t look for logical accuracy in a commercial/masala flick as long as the proceedings are plausible with common sense.  In Coolie, Lokesh and his co-writer don’t have any pretensions of being logical and have conceived plot points that lack plain common sense. Lokesh joins the long list of filmmakers who suffer from the “Baasha complex” – that is, of making a film inspired by the Baasha theme of “Before” and “After” hero.

In his earlier film Vikram, Lokesh used “Guns” as the leitmotif and featured different types of guns in action sequences. Here, he uses “knives” as the leitmotif, and we see all kinds of knives. Towards the end, various tools also join the party. The film is excessively violent and is unflinching about it. I felt sorry for the hordes of senior citizens who thronged the theatre to watch a ‘Superstar” entertainer. Of course, the film is rated “A”; therefore, they should know what they are paying for.  Yet, I could sense their utter disappointment as they left the hall, muttering about what kind of film it was.

Anirudh’s background score is repetitive and a mixed bag, as usual. His use of classical fusion in action sequences feels fresh compared to his typical stunt BGM hooks. The de-ageing in the flashback sequences works well, not just with the looks but with the voice too.

For a filmmaker to be successful, one needs to explore all kinds of films and excel at them. Lokesh, so far, is stuck in his fanciful world of guns, gore, blood, drugs, and smuggling, which is why all his films look and feel similar. It is time he breaks free from the delusional LCU (Lokesh Cinematic Universe) he has been trapped in. Coolie is a complete disappointment. A tribute to Rajinikanth on his 50 years in cinema could have been far better.